


Home is Where The Heart Resides

by HenloThurrr



Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adoptive Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Bad Parenting, Big Brother Technoblade, Child Neglect, DreamSMP - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Wilbur Soot, Hybrid AU, Hybrid Wilbur Soot, M/M, Mind Control, Older Sibling Wilbur Soot, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phil's trying his best, Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Running Away, Self-Hatred, Siren Wilbur Soot, Sirens, TOMMYWINGIT, Tags Are Fun, Tags Are Hard, Wilbur Soot Angst, Wilbur Soot Needs a Hug, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wilbur Soot is Not Okay, Wilbur is a siren/elf hybrid, it isnt super hardcore but it hurts your feelings the more you think, kind of???, no beta we die like wilbur, philza minecraft is not the best dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:29:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28666251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HenloThurrr/pseuds/HenloThurrr
Summary: Even if the house was filled with laughter, to Wilbur it has never felt emptier than before.No longer finding comfort in his home with his brothers and father, Wilbur sets off and runs away. What or rather who he finds just might change his life for the better, or maybe the worse.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot, Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Clay | Dream/Wilbur Soot, Dream SMP ensemble & Wilbur Soot, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & Everyone, Wilbur Soot & Original Character(s), Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade
Comments: 296
Kudos: 835





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first attempt to write fanfic in like.. years. So I apologize if it isn't the most accurate or if it's OOC. I'm excited to share it all with you though! At the endnotes, I have a few things to explain.

On most days if asked about how he was doing, Wilbur would answer with the simplest of answers. 

A “Fine!” or two, maybe even an “I’m doing really good!” if he knew he could pull it off.

And for the most part, that fine would be true. It wasn’t like he was in any danger really in his life. He didn’t have anything to be particularly sad about either. A roof, food, clothes, a guitar, a family, a home. What else could he possibly be displeased with?

Something inside of him begged to differ as he sat there in the dining room, plate barely touched and focus lost within his own mind. It was another family dinner, just as all the other ones were. Sitting around himself was his family, his amazing and wonderful family, that were sucked into conversation. Tommy dominated the conversation, flinging around his fork around animatedly. His latest outing with Technoblade brought on rogue creepers that surrounded them, the two only fending themselves off with only a fishing rod and a pair of sticks. ”You guys should have seen the look on Techno’s face when my sword broke! He looked like he was about to shit himself!” A boisterous laugh came from the boy before being cut off by a simple “Actually, I recall you screaming like a scared cat. Practically jumped like one too.”

The aforementioned pink-haired piglin resided right beside Will in his seat. He adamantly listened to the conversation as he ate, more focused on that than doing anything else. His head poked up once or twice, readjusting the story spilling from Tommy’s lips to the exact truth. “Besides, you were the one with all of the iron. There would be no point in letting you explode with everything on you.” 

“Oi, listen here you pink motherfucker. I’ll have you know I am fully capable of handling myself!” The small wings behind Tommy rustled, fluttering a bit as a feather or two dropped to the ground. He stood up, grabbing a knife in one hand and a fork in the other. 

“Oh yeah? Let’s go outside and see if your bark really has any bite to it.” Techno matched Tommy’s eagerness as he quickly stood up, hand clasping on the dagger strapped to his belt. 

A quick and light-hearted “Boys!” caught their attention as they both went to sit back down. The last of the family, Philza Minecraft himself, chided the boys’ behavior at the table. “Show some manners! Tommy, remember to comb through your feathers after dinner. And no playing with utensils as weapons.” Phil’s head turned to Techno as he continued, “and Techno, I specifically remember saying no weapons at the table. Prime help me if one day you actually go at it. My wings will start going grey.”

“Well I wouldn’t worry about that Old man, you’re on your way there!” “Hey! I’m not even that old Tommy!” “He says that but I heard his joints crack when he bent down to pick up a stray paper the other day followed by a ‘Shiiiiit’.”

Laughter consumed the table as the three of them talked with one another, easily not noticing the disappearance of the fourth member of the table. 

At that point, Wilbur had already made it back to his room. His appetite was lost for the day and his plate was cleared off, placed in the sink for cleaning. Almost as if like it had never been served or partaken from the cupboard. The feeling of suffocation bubbled in his chest as he sat amongst his family. It lingered around in his lungs and throat, quick to make itself known and present with a burning sensation. 

His hands shakily made their way as he reached for the musical instrument beside his bed; his guitar. Fingers strummed on a guitar gifted to him years ago by Phil. Random chords flowed from the strings and filled the room. The melody he created served its purpose, the feeling in his chest reducing yet lingering on.

Even when sitting beside them, he felt like a ghost. Always present but never seen, never touched, never spoken to. He never blamed them at all though, why would he? It wasn’t like it was ever their fault. They couldn’t control who he was.

It was all his fault. 

Shaking his head, Wilbur forced himself out of his head and decided to get out. Not just out of the cluster of his thoughts, this room, this house more like it. Their home was quaint; it wasn’t grand by any means but there resides history in the walls the four lived in. The guitar laid abandoned on his bed as he slipped his sneakers on. Wilbur grabbed a sweater, a yellow favorite sweater, and quickly and as quietly as he could make his way downstairs. He crept past the empty dining room with ease and a lighter mind. The doors to their rooms were respectively open and closed during his little strumming session, they weren’t down there.

Once out the door and house, his legs dashed through the city. The mincecrafts (soots?blades?) were placed on the outskirts of a coastal city, a coastal city by the name of Oslsan. It wasn’t as well known as other city but the citizens there never particularly cared. In a small community amongst one another, they found their home. Wilbur navigated the soon to be empty streets as the sun began to set on the city. His feet carried him in thought as he glanced at all of the people: some sat alone, others with their families. Soon enough, he found himself at his destination.

One of the perks of living in the Oslsan was the amazing beach. It was the pride of the city and regularly had people spread out amongst its space. Spread out for miles, the glistening water never failed to bring a smile to Will’s face and bring back some warmth in his heart. His legs gave down as he plopped onto the sand, hands burying themselves in it. The warm sand despite its loose nature grounded him. It made him feel a bit more secure than he would have ever expected to be. Odd isn't it? 

The sun continued to sit, the last slivers of light being given hitting and illuminating Will’s face as he began to hum to himself. It was a faint tune, something similar to what he had strummed moments ago. 

Why couldn’t it always be like this?


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur goes back home.

Wilbur’s arrival to the house went unnoticed as he made his way to the kitchen. Skipping dinner might have been a bad idea on his part, he could admit. Skipping breakfast might have been a poor idea if confronted about it as well. 

But Hey, if it got him out of having to silently sit in the kitchen and stare at a cup of tea until his stomach became ill, then so be it. 

The lights of the kitchen had been dimmed down, a few stray candles lighting up the empty room. Wilbur ran a hand against the cool stone countertops as he went to investigate the cupboards. 

Most things available to him would take time to prepare. It wasn’t as if he could just suddenly cook something up for himself. It was risky, potentially drawing unwanted attention from his family. That being said, it wasn’t like he could cook anyways.

He had always been particularly unskilled in the kitchen, fumbling with knives or accidentally burning his hands on the stove. 

A sudden memory as he passed by the sink brought a smile to Will’s face. It was a few years ago, back in their earlier teenage years when Techno was about fifteen , Wilbur was thirteen, and Tommy was nine. He remembered one time that he was in the kitchen bright and early one morning with Phil and Tommy. It was Techno’s birthday and the older individual had a habit of sleeping in on most days--if he slept at all that is. That day was one of the luckier ones as they had a few hours to plan and get everything prepared. 

It was supposed to be something relatively simple that they could produce, something potato related he thinks? Wilbur could never remember what it was for the life of him. His brother was never one for sweets so baking anything for his special day was out of the question.

In the end, Wilbur was taken off of the kitchen not only for that morning but for the rest of his life apparently. A few constant apologies and an tired yet understanding talk later, the birthday breakfast-lunch was completed and delivered to a sleepy yet appreciative Techno. 

It wasn’t like it was all his fault that he got stressed due to the heat rising from the fire. It was a perfectly normal response! Not everyone works under the same conditions.

The same couldn’t be said for the amount of slip up cuts that littered his fingers. Knives were such finicky things. He couldn’t imagine being in control of something like a blade when in battle. Not like how Technoblade or Tommy could. 

“Butter fingers,” he mumbled to himself as he moved onto another part of the kitchen to search. 

Now they, they were amazing. More so Techno than Tommy. Techno had a way with weapons that could make any enemy regret ever crossing his path. It had always been like that for as long as he could remember. It was natural, Techno being the superior one in battle. Sometimes it felt like the occasional and rare training Will did with Phil wasn’t even worth it sometimes. 

_Why bother, right?_

And with his current dedication, Tommy looked like he was following right in his footsteps. Whenever Will looked for his youngest brother he could either find him with Phil in the yard, attacking some random training dummy or pinned beneath Techno’s foot after a spur of the moment sparring session. Wilbur was proud of his brother, both of them for that fact, they were truly shaping up to be something someday. And if they didn’t, that was okay. They could handle themselves and if they really decided to pursue something grander in this life, they could do it without question. 

_Will pondered if the same could really apply to himself though._

After all of his searching eventually found a piece of fruit to eat. An apple was simple enough and would do. Content my, Wilbur munched on the apple as he leaned forward against the counter with his elbows resting gently.

He could never say that he was particularly the best at anything combat wise. Techno’s strength and ability to land critical hits went unmatched in their home, even when compared to their seasoned father. Tommy had areas like his stamina and speed that would push him to continue on a fight even if the odds weren’t in his favor. 

If he thought deeper about it, Wilbur could find a few things about himself. He was pretty okay with a bow, his aim being better than what could be perceived as average. Oh!, He could also count for his agility? Maybe? He had always found that he was a bit lighter on his feet than the others were and that definitely had to account for something.

The mere thought about that one good thing brought a smile to his face. Even if there wasn't anything to bring home about, the small boost of confidence he received was enough. 

It wasn’t as if he tried to point these things out on purpose. It sure isn’t helping his mood that he just managed to recover, that’s for sure. It’s just… so hard to ignore what’s so blatantly obvious. 

Wilbur would always try his best, if not for what was left of his self-esteem, he would do it for Phil. _Always for Phil._

Even if he knew he wasn’t the most skilled, wasn’t the one he would approach first, even if he wasn’t the favorite, Wilbur still wanted to make him proud. To bring a smile to his face.

It was hard to compete with the literal definition of a perfect warrior and spontaneous charisma gremlin child, but Wilbur could Damn well try. With every day it felt like his chances were slipping, tilting and making his opportunities smaller and smaller, making things more difficult than he supposed it should be. Those thoughts began to fester, growing and spreading as quickly as they popped in his mind. They cluttered and infect him as he uncomfortably shifted, blinking a few times to try and clear his mind. 

A sight of defeat left him as he ran a hand through his hair. “What’s the point of trying anymore?” He asked himself, a mouthful of apple jumbling the words, thumbs caressing the apple’s formerly shiny exterior. 

“What’s the point of what?” Asked a tired voice behind Will. The tall teen immediately coughed, almost choking on pieces of apple that now laid on the counter uneaten. 

Techno stood at the entrance to the kitchen, his hair remaining unbraided and, quite frankly, a mess. He let his body weight lean him against the door frame as he crossed his arms, eyebrows raised as he watched the figure in front of him clean up the remaining apple.

“Oh, hello Techno. I see you haven’t gotten your hair all fixed up. Do you want me to? I know you can sometimes get upset with me and my pace, which is understandable!” All the while, Wilbur had just tossed out the remains of the apple in the garbage, both spitten out and uneaten. It was a simple motion, something done without a second thought. As if it was a reflex. 

“I just wouldn’t want you suddenly chopping it all off since you couldn’t fix it. Not saying you couldn’t, I’m just saying.. uh.. yeah. But I can help!” Will nervously chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. Suddenly he found the tiling on the floor to become extremely interesting. 

Techno looked Wilbur up and down, carefully looking him over. The apple had gone unnoticed but Wilbur’s speech question hadn’t. Techno wasn’t a fool. He noticed that Wilbur had completely neglected the attention. It was probably something random. With Wilbur it could have been something about the old stories he had read in his spare time or the training he went through with dad. It could have been anything really. 

His brother’s mind was a bit of a mystery to him. He didn’t know what to do at that moment. So he acquiesced.

“That would be much appreciated. We can go to my room if that’s alright. Your’s is a bit too close to Tommy for my comfort.” Techno turned around to walk to his room and Wilbur followed in step with a chuckle. He was thankful that Techno didn’t mention anything from before. He preferred it that way. 

The braiding session was quick and silent, just as they normally went. Conversations often ended up a bit awkward, but it was mutual. Mutual was comfortable. Wilbur retreated back to his room and buried himself under the covers, eyes dropping closed as he curled up into a ball. 

_Maybe tomorrow would be just a bit better._


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fight? (Also I'm sorry for the lack of a chapter in a bit, school is annoying.)

Will would often say that luckily in his life he has had the fortune of avoiding confrontation amongst his family. 

That’s not to say that arguments in the family household weren’t existent at all. There have been plenty of skirmishes between Techno and Tommy, too many to count in fact. Something about them made it impossible to not butt heads with one another. 

Tommy’s resilience and determination to push his luck sometimes would just agitate Techno in the wrong way. Techno’s blunt and nonchalant nature could do the very same to Tommy. No matter what though, they would always make up. Small gestures were appreciated between the two. One day Tommy might wake up to a newly repaired sword or bow and Techno would wake up to new materials for his different weapons projects. 

Wilbur supposed that was what made the bond so special between the two of them. He didn’t share the same confrontational nature that they did. For the most part anyway,

He had his little quips here and there and regrettably not all of them land as he wished he did. The truth in his words could have and have been twisted or seen as malice infused. And as best as he tried to change that, he couldn’t stop the words flowing from his mouth just yet. 

He had gotten better though or so he had hoped. That afternoon might have just proven though. 

The house laid still in motion, the air and space around every corner still at the void left by the three other people residing within it. Phil, Techno, and Tommy had left early in the morning. They found Wilbur sitting alone in the kitchen with a light brown mug in his hand, tea too warm to drink without the scalding heat. Their presence caused him to tense even if only a little but he was quick to relax as they went about their business. 

Techno moved to explain as he searched the pantry, “We are going into the mineshaft that Tommy found about a week ago. He kept pushing so we are going today instead of this weekend because somehow he had all of his things ready.” He spared a quick glance at Tommy who nervously chuckled before going to check his things.

“He thinks I didn’t notice how a few iron bars and diamonds disappeared from my personal chests. How cute. Hope he knows I know where he keeps his pet moth.” Techno mentioned and shared a small chuckle with Wil, both of them watching as Tommy heard reference to Clementine, his wings shuddering before moving more out of sight,

And with that, they were off. The three of them grouped at the door as they adjusted their shoes. Wilbur was ready to retreat to his own room, only stopping when his father looked up from correcting Tommy about his improper lace knots. 

It was just a quick, “You coming Will?” His heart soared at the notion of tagging along, wanting to help them and just spend time in their presence. To laugh with Techno as they teased Tommy about his short stature, calling him a supposed ‘Gremlin.’ As much as he wanted to though, he knew that he would only slow them down. He didn’t need to be another box on the checklist to occasionally remember when it came to it.

Will supplied a simple, “No thanks, I’ll just stay behind and clean. Maybe play my guitar? I’d hate to distract you all with my playing when you get home.”

Saying that brought Wilbur back to an earlier time, one where he would practice without a care in the world. 

\-------------------------------------

_He was singing words to one of his first songs ever, something he held deeply in his heart as it was something he could finally be proud of!_

_“_ _The roads are my home, horizon's my target. If I keep on moving, never lose sight of it. Treating my memory of you like a fire, let it. Burn out, don't fight it, and try to move on.._ _.” he sang softly, voice echoing in his room and throughout the house._

_Wilbur was brought out of his small musical world when hearing a tumbling sound followed by an eventual ‘Shit!’. The three brothers ran out of their rooms to find their father at the bottom of the stairs, cradling a wing. No doubt he landed on them on the way down._

_When asked what caused the fall, all that was supplied was a simple, “I thought I heard singing coming from Wilbur’s room and it must have slipped my mind where I was going. It's no problem though, I just wasn’t looking where I was going, boys.”_

_The looks from his older and younger siblings along with other similar instances pushed Will to reserve practice time away from the house or to when nobody was around if he could afford it._

_\-------------------------------------_

“Alright. Make sure not to burn down the house while we are gone.” And with that, they were gone. 

Wilbur swore that Tommy made a small noise of agreement, probably with both of their sentiments before he left after Techno. The noise of although small spoke volumes for Wilbur and he took that to his room, locking it away with himself.

When the three returned it was with a loud bang and a swinging of the front door. The noise jostled Wilbur, ripping him away from the notes playing on the guitar. He was struggling to find words to match the somber feeling of the melody, trying to find something that echoed his own feelings. Nothing worth including was popping up and understandably, frustration was settling quickly in his mind. 

He set those feelings aside as he made his way downstairs, facing everyone sitting in the dining room. Wilbur was faced with an angry-looking Tommy, staring down at his feet as he gripped his pant legs, wings rustling in time with his bouncing foot. Phil sat right beside him, a hand on his shoulder while his face displayed clear discomfort. His wings were being tended to by Techno who admittedly looked rather unbothered, carefully weaving the bandages in the best way possible. 

“What uh.. What happened?” Wilbur questioned. He made no movement to go over towards the other to join them and at the same time, there wasn’t much movement from anyone else. A period of silence followed before Techno spoke up.

“We were in the mines, Tommy went ahead to go look for diamonds and low and behold got himself stuck in a room full of creepers and zombies,” he answered before cutting the bandages off at a decent length. “Phil and I rushed in to help him and Phil got hit with a nasty explosion from one of the creepers coming too close to Tommy. We came back as soon as we could.”

No sooner did Tommy join in the conversation. “I should have destroyed every last one of those motherfucking green bastards, every single one. I could have done it too, I swear it! I would’ve chopped them up till they were nothing but nooo, we had to run away!”

Phil sighed as he watched Tommy yell, the shrill loudness to it bringing forth the beginning of a headache. “Tommy, relax. We went in, we got what we needed, and we got out pretty okay. I’m too injured. Besides, I’m not as Fragile as you think I am.”

“Yeah right old man, I’m sure you aren’t. You know who is though?” 

Wilbur admittedly wasn’t looking at them as they spoke. Rude, maybe?, but that wasn’t his intention. The silence that followed Tommy’s question prompted him to look up only to find Tommy staring directly at him, Techno and Phil looking over to follow Tommy’s gaze.

A sense of hurt blossomed in Wilbur’s chest as he spoke, “Excuse me?” He hoped it wasn’t extremely evident in his voice. He hoped there wasn’t a slight crack, one that would give him away.

“What. You heard me didn’t you?” Tommy asked before continuing. “I mean, you’re always at home when we are all out exploring or some shit. You’re always in your room playing that shitty guitar instead of practicing fighting or something more useful.”

Wilbur narrowed as he immediately jumped to defend himself. “My guitar isn’t shitty! I’m sorry that I have passions that lie outside of simply fighting for the sake of doing so or looking for new things to explore outside. You don’t see me complain anyhow.”

“Yeah duh, cause you’re never around!”

“I’m always around! You don’t take a second to lo-”

Phil put a hand between the two. Ever since their argument started, the two were growing closer and closer as the regard for personal space became small. Tommy’s wings had puffy up considerably, trying to create the impression that Tommy was bigger and taller than he actually was.

“Enough,” Phil began, his voice steady and firm. It wasn’t enough to scare them but it was enough to get them to calm down, at least Tommy anyhow. “You both are brothers. You shouldn’t be acting like this. Will, I expected better from you, really I did. It isn’t something you should get so worked about. Tommy, even if what you are saying does have some truth in it, you shouldn’t phrase it like that.” 

A second passed by, maybe two, before Wilbur began again, exasperated as hell. 

“What do you mean you expected better from me? Why are you even talking about Phil, I literally see Techno and Tommy argue all the time! You never say that to them.”

Phil sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose before stepping in front of Tommy and putting a hand on Will’s shoulder. “That’s because Techno and Tommy are different, Will. Besides, that’s not the point-” The mood in the room was dropping increasingly quick as tension rose. Tommy found himself accompanying Techno in a corner of the room as they stood beside one another. Techno had yet to say a thing and Tommy had quickly shut his mouth as the argument drawled on. Wilbur was growing more and more frustrated, his anger rising in tow.

“Different how?! Is it because Techno has the skills and interests as you do? Or maybe is it because Tommy is the same hybrid as you and there’s some bond you two have I will never be able to understand?” Wilbur’s words were sharp and quickly drew the attention of the three to him. Everyone stilled, stunned into silence as they swallowed or blinked. Slightly shrinking on himself, he pressed on in the heat of the moment.

“And what bloody point? That I’ll never be as amazing as them? That as much as I might try, I Wilbur Caddel, will never be enough in your eyes?!”

A few glasses on the table shattered, fragments falling onto the table. It wasn’t enough to grab anyone’s attention though. Admittedly, it wasn’t Wilbur’s brightest moment. Shouting at them came from a place he refused to acknowledge with them even if it was sometimes all he could think about in the cold of his room. The buildup of years was just becoming too much at this point. He didn’t think it could have gotten much worse but the gods above just seemed to test him. 

Phil took a step back before taking another forward. “Wilbur,” His voice was stronger and more controlling than before. “I don’t know where this is coming from. This wasn’t even that serious of an issue before you decided it suddenly needed to be. Now, I want you to apologize to your brothers. What you said was a bit unfair to them and is way out of their control. It wasn’t even true for prime’s sake! You know sometimes...” Phil continued to talk but it fell upon deaf ears.

Clenching his fists as his shoulders started to shake, Will’s chest began to rise up and down as he tried to take in air without it crushing his chest from the inside. Pricks of tears began to cloud his vision as he shuddered. It seemed pointless to continue on arguing, even if he really _really_ wanted to. All of the fire that was in him moments ago seemingly vanished into nothing as he tried to pull himself together.

He noticed a silence lingering on in the room, all eyes watching him, waiting for something. He realized just what Phil had asked of him before. With no fight left in him, he complied. “ Techno, Tommy.. I’m.. I’m sorry.”

“See? It wasn’t that hard. I don’t know where this has come from but it is best that it ceases. Honestly, I barely feel like I know you anymore.”

It took a few seconds for Techno to see the previous fire from before reigniting itself within Wilbur. His shaking continued but only got worse as tears streaked down from his flushed face, no doubt from the embarrassment and anger he was feeling. Techno took this opportunity to lead Tommy into another room, shielding him from at least seeing what was to come.

“You don’t know me because you don’t care! You say you do but I can see right through you! I can see how you got out of your way for Tommy and Techno but not for me. I can see how you look over me before finding something better to fill your time with.”

“Was I just some mistake you couldn’t bring yourself to get rid of? Maybe you should have gotten rid of me when you had the chance in some ditch or something, left me to die and perish alone. It wouldn’t have made a difference from right now, would it?” Wilbur gave a pathetic chuckle as he rubbed away tears from his eyes, the phantom of its sting still remaining.

“Maybe you’re right.” The words had been soft, something Phil hadn’t even recognized that he said out loud. His eyes widened as he truly registered But everyone heard; the tall brown-haired boy in front of him heard, the winged blond heard, and the pink pig-hybrid heard. Everyone heard.

Wilbur seemed to shut down at that moment. A breath was caught stuck in his throat as he flinched backwards, staggering into the doorframe from before. His chest rose up and down, its pace picking up by the minute as it became harder to breathe. Fresh tears replaced ones previously fallen and scattered onto a sweater or the ground. 

It was suddenly becoming harder and harder to breathe for Wilbur. There were too many noises, too many sounds, too many lights. He vaguely recognized a hand reaching for him in the midst of tears but left it abandoned as he made a dash to his room. 

Time in the house stilled just as it did before that morning. It stilled with a guilt-ridden father watching the last place his middle son stood, a distressed brother who shielded and shrouded himself with his wings, and a shocked brother who in his tired state watched his brother run away. Nothing made a sound in the house; no screams, no guitar melodies, no cries. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this chapter seems a bit out of it, I took my time writing this one and I don't know if it's coherent or not but I hope you enjoyed it! Leave any comments, questions, or anything in the chat if you'd like!


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wouldn't it be nice to just leave it all behind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters kind of back to back? Wow.

The morning after the argument was a silent one. 

Wilbur had given himself the morning after to recuperate and pull himself back together. Yesterday, after he had left the battlefield of a dining room, he could only assume he immediately passed out from before. Whatever happened after he left downstairs, he couldn’t remember. It was all a bit of a messy blur and then nothing. His eyes opened, blinking occasionally as he felt a soreness aching from them. It didn’t take much from him to realize that his eyes had previously been what could only be called a fountain of tears. 

He couldn’t believe that he lashed out like that. Those ugly, monstrous feelings should have stayed deep and buried within Wilbur where he planned to keep them there, forever hopefully. That was never his plan, to yell at Phil, to yell at Tommy, to have Techno watching with his unwavering gaze. It was a mess. He was a mess. No one deserved to see or hear that mess and his heart wept for what his family had to see. 

Sheets and blankets shifted as he pushed himself up, feet touching the cool wooden floor beneath his feet. The sun illuminated a picture on the wall, one of himself and Phil. The position of the lighting reminded him that the current time was way later than he thought. He guessed it was the afternoon but couldn’t find it in himself to care as his thoughts worked themselves back to the photo.

_It was one where they stood beside each other, Phil sightly crouching down to get his arm around the then smaller Wilbur. His smile rivaled the in its brightness, his long-forgotten glasses framing his face accompanied by a beanie placed on his head that matches the frames in their red hue. Phil looked just the same as he did now, just without the few stray grey feathers that Wilbur could occasionally find on the house’s floor. The both of them stood on top of a stage of an amphitheater that Phil had found on one of his many adventures. It stood proud and pristine, the marble and stone making up the foundations having been untouched by the hands of man since its creation._

_“I thought you’d like it here,” Phil smiled as he watched Wilbur’s face be encompassed by amazement. He knew his son and he knew that he had something about him that drew his hands and voice to music. It was Wilbur’s 14th birthday and the two went out alone. The trip between the two of them was made worth it as Wilbur threw himself into Phil’s arms, tearing up while sputtering countless ‘thank you dad’s._

_That was one of the last main and only memories Wilbur could remember having with Phil that wasn’t muddled with envy, disappointment, or just nothing at all._

The memory of it all brought a smile to Wilbur’s face but just as soon as it came, it was quick to disappear. The memory lingered on a bit but only served to worsen his mood, the thoughts and feelings from yesterday tainting the preciousness of it all. 

His door creaked open as he pushed his head out, quickly scouting the hallway to see or hear if anyone was around. There wasn’t any screaming or talking from any of the rooms and all of the doors were shut closed. As he crept down the stairs, the smallest of creaks from the wood below causing him to grimace, Wilbur also found that it wasn’t just the upstairs floor that was empty, but the downstairs area too. There was no note left for him to find on any counter, no semblance that they tried to comfort him upstairs after their little spat and in a way, Wilbur wasn’t surprised. This is just the way things always would be. There’d always be a disconnect between him and the rest of his family and he’d always suffer from that. He would always be left behind while the rest move on, leaving him behind to fester unhappiness and sorrow.

It would always stay that way unless… unless there was a change. 

Unless there was a way to free himself from the cold cell walls that were and are this house. A way to for once leave the others behind just as they had done to him. 

He had thought about it before, running away. It had been one of many faint thoughts that came to him in moments in distress before disappearing into nothing. Running away required planning. It required time, skills, and patience. Wilbur didn’t have a lot of those before and he could still argue that he was lacking in them but now… he actually stood a chance. He could leave, gather his own supplies, find something new in his life, find new people! 

The thought of beginning fresh and not having to remain as Wilbur Caddel excited him. It meant not having to slug around the weight and pain that came with the title. He could be whoever he wanted! 

Wilbur chuckled to himself in excitement, covering his mouth in case someone managed to stay behind and was around. As much as he wanted to leave right that second, give everyone the feeling of elation or horror (he didn’t think too much at the last part) as they saw him gone forever, he needed to pack and prepare. Food, weapons, clothes, and a direction were all a necessary part of the equation. All parts of which he was currently missing. 

With a start, Wilbur made a dash to his room as he went up the stairs and to his room before closing the door shut. He rummaged through his closet as he fetched out his most prized clothing items— a few sweaters, pair of boots, and pants, nothing much else. His hands had folded each article of clothing into a dark brown leather backpack, one made for traveling for extended periods of time. He worked like a machine to fold away everything, his own mind trying to further cement and dedicate himself to the option of leaving. It was only a matter of time before Phil threw him out anyway. Especially after that mockery of a fight yesterday. Wilbur was already seventeen soon to turn eighteen within the next few weeks. The stars were aligning a bit too perfectly in his opinion. Like it was destined to happen at any moment. Wilbur would just have to act as a catalyst and speed this up before it normally happens. 

At least then he could spare himself the heartbreak of having to see and hear officially say it. That his time in that house and with that family was coming to an end. 

With his clothes packed away, Wilbur began to make a mental checklist of others to include. His mind immediately wandered to his prized guitar, a few pictures of the boys and Phil, and a crossbow given to him by Techno ago. He named it Sally funnily enough. As he traced the small wooden carving in the handle, he found it humorous, naming something so violent to something docile and domestic. Anything else left in his room, Wilbur found that he could leave them behind. Nothing else meant to him as much as these did. They’d only slow him down in the end. 

By the end of the night, Wilbur found that he was set. His bag and guitar case were neatly packed and tucked away in the bottom of his closet, ready to be picked up and ready to go. The out of sight location of it was perfect. He even had his first place to go on his quest. All that was left to do now was to simply leave. It would be a lie to say that he would never miss the home. It was foolish to think he would never think about it or the brothers or father he was leaving behind but it was destined to happen anyway. Besides, his mind was made up.

No more causing problems for the family.

No more being a disappointment to his siblings. 

Nothing could stop him.

Tomorrow is a new day...

A new chapter...

One to run away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It is a bit short I know but we are actually moving on with the story and hopefully, we can meet some other characters soon. Leave any comments, questions, or anything below if you'd like!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We really out here leaving our homes. You go you funky little British man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter :00 Also I saw the streams yesterday and hOLY SHIT THAT WAS AMAZING. Also thank you North7589 for helping with the chapter summary! (You should totally go read her fic "To Protect What Means Most". It's super good and worth it.)

Techno wasn’t stupid. 

At times he could admit maybe one or two things would fly over his head like an odd joke here or there, but Techno wasn’t stupid. A bit awkward, yeah. Quiet at times, true. But he wasn’t stupid. He’s known Wilbur for most of his life up until this point. At least, well, he thought he did. But the Wilbur he knew wouldn’t lash out like that for no good reason. More likely, he wouldn’t lash out at all. Not where people could see him do it. 

The Wilbur Techno knew was one who didn’t like to let his emotions be too known. Techno wasn’t a stranger to this, he was guilty of this as well. His monotone voice and blunt phrasing were sometimes intentionally that way to keep others out. But Will, Will was on a different level. Will would pretend to be something he wasn’t, happy when actually sad, cheerful when sorrowful. He wouldn’t have crying fits or scream to the heavens for the sake of attention or even to let his frustrations out. The risk of attracting attention away from someone else, he thinks. Techno couldn’t even remember the last time he saw his brother cry in front of him or heard it through their empty walls. 

_A part of Techno scorns himself for that but leaves it for another time._

Another thing Techno wasn’t was blind. 

Techno could see that the way his younger brother exploded came from a place inside. A place he hadn’t seen in years. He caught glimpses of it when they were younger. A place where Wilbur would enter a place of self-loathing, thinking less of himself. The last time that had happened and he witnessed it in person was around when they adopted Tommy. But that was years ago. Judging based on what he said at the dining table, this issue hadn’t suddenly disappeared just as he wished it had done. It was foolish of him to even hope that was the case, he knows. It just... He seemed so fine for so long. 

Whatever was going on, Techno predicted, this was going to keep destroying Will; no doubt from the inside out. 

Techno drew out a sigh as he stood outside Tommy’s door, waiting for the boy to hurry up so they could continue on with his plan. At first, he intended to follow the plan Phil had set out for them last morning. 

_Their father knocked at their door at the crack of dawn, waking up the sleep exhausted bird-hybrid from his slumber and taking away the sleep-deprived piglin-hybrid away from sharpening his most recently crafted pickaxe. The three of them stood in the kitchen, the two teens barely leaning against one another as they struggled to stay awake._

_“ We are gonna go out to the nearby orchard, yeah? I feel like we need some fresh air out of this house and that'll do it. If we want to get the best picks of the day we will need to go early. The orchard is a bit of a way and is rather large but I’ll let you two go get ready.” Phil adjusted the bandages left on his shoulder as he glanced at the boys, his body facing away from them. “You guys look like you need to go run your faces under some cold water.”_

_Tommy blinked a few times, sluggishly rubbing his eyes with his wrist before trudging to go climb the stairs to the bathroom. He was too tired to argue, too desperate to sleep, and was definitely too ready to go back to sleep as soon as he made it back to his room. Techno had been the wiser, looking at Phil before going to run a pot of coffee. The water began to boil as he leaned against an empty section of wall in the kitchen._

_“And Will?” Techno asked, watching his father slightly freeze, his wings jumping up with his sudden stop. “You’re planning on leaving him alone?”_

_Phil was hesitant to answer but did so with the type of confidence you pulled in front of your kids to assure them that everything was alright (even if it wasn’t). “Wilbur... Wilbur needs some time to himself. I think what’s best for him is to sort out his feelings after everything that was said... Everything I said.” He walked into the room the argument had happened hours ago, fingers grazing against the table before stopping at a corner. “I need to talk with him about what I said but I don’t think it’s best to hit him with it when he wakes up. He’ll need this time.”_

_“Are you so sure?” Techno questioned further, stepping forward but moving back when he noticed a need for confrontation arising within him. He stepped back and watched his father with judging eyes. “I think one of us should stay behind. As a matter of fact, I’ll do it.”_

_His father went to cut him off but Techno continued, advancing into the dining room to face Phil to face. “ Tommy is already upstairs getting ready. I’m okay with not going to the orchard. Besides, the farm here needs some tending to and your wings need some healing.”_

_With that, it had been a done decision. Tommy and Phil had left for the orchard and Techno stayed behind to monitor Will. Unlucky for him, the moment he decided to head into the city was the moment Wilbur decided to be active. He returned back to the house, welcomed with the should of mass shuffling coming from a room upstairs. Creeping up the staircase, Technoblade made an effort to walk up in complete silence, not wanting to scare his brother. A quick peek into his room revealed Wilbur cradling a picture of the entire family before putting it into a bag. If the bag wasn’t something to be concerned about, his packed guitar definitely was._

_Against his better judgment though, Techno let Wilbur be. He planned to follow Phil in his plan, let Will have some time before he would approach them. The lack of Wilbur’s presence throughout the rest of the day worried Techno, riling up as he became more and more impatient. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have cared. He wouldn’t have put in as much energy as he did. Why would he?_

_But this was his brother. And for his brother, he would wait._

He tapped his foot as he leaned against the doorframe, adjusting his wrist cuffs as he knocked again with knuckles. “Tommy, Get out of your room. We have to get moving with what I told you about yesterday night. Wilbur wakes up normally and we need to make sure he’s okay.” A few more seconds of silence followed before Techno pushed himself off the door. He faced it, ready to kick it open before an annoyed Tommy walked out looking rather peeved. 

“I was going you dickhead. Can’t a man preen his feathers in peace?” Tommy asked as he walked out of his room, a few fathers following him in a trail. Techno huffed at that, crouching down to pick one up before saying, “Hah. It looks like you didn’t even do it properly. You’re going to end up having enough stray feathers to make a pillow or something.”

Sputtering, Tommy’s wings flared up as he quickly tried to defend himself. “I tried my best! Phil just plucks them without much thought and that hurts you know. Oh well, I guess you don’t, but still. The person who normally does it is Wilbur and I haven’t seen him since... Well, you know.”

Techno spared Tommy a nod of understanding before closing his door. The nervousness radiating from Tommy when Wilbur was brought up was too apparent for him to ignore. His eyes glanced to their sibling’s door, an oak one with yellow accents highlighting it all over. It wouldn’t take him that long to guess that as much as he would have denied it if someone asked, Tommy would still blame himself for what transpired the other night. That night was ugly, he agreed, but it wasn’t all Tommy’s fault. His eyes glanced down to the room down the hall, another of oak but this time with dark forest green decorating it. 

“Let’s just go knock on his door and see if he’s okay.” 

Tommy strode forward and tapped on the door, his knuckles echoing against the wood. “Wilbur?” He half yelled before a ‘shush’ from Techno caused his volume to significantly lower. Sighing, he began again. “Wilbur? I know you’re up. I.. We, we as in me and Techno, say hi Techno’s here. Techno and I were wondering if we could possibly talk to you, yeah?” 

A few seconds passed before seconds eventually turned into minutes. Tommy’s patience wasn’t as durable as his brother’s and that was a fact. Knocking impatiently again, the youngest brother tapped foot as he began to pace back and forth. “Will, Wilbur, man. Can you please let us in? I think we need to talk, brother to brother, Piglin-hybrid to bird hybrid to uh... Could you just please let us in?!” 

Techno found that Tommy pleaded with the air, practically begging the air to open the door. He stepped forward and placed a hand on the door. “Will,” he began, voice rough and low from the leftover exhaustion. “Can you please open up? I know it’s uncomfortable to talk about but I’m really getting worried man.” A few more seconds and nothing appeared. Out of sheer curiosity, Techno pressed an ear to the door, shushing Tommy from his own rambling. The sound of the breeze from a window was the only thing registering as his ear twitched. That’s not good. 

“Come on Will! Let us in! I’m going to go call Dad if you don’t!” Tommy threatened, not really sure if he would act on the threat. He was quickly brushed aside by Techno blade who jiggled the door handle up and down, finding it to be locked. 

“Tommy, move out of the way.”

“W-what? Why?!” 

“Just move!” 

He didn’t mean for it to come out so loud, but Techno was in a bit of a panic. Once Tommy was out of range, Techno brought a foot up before swinging it down on the handle, effectively breaking it into pieces. A small gasp came from beside him but it was abandoned as he pushed the door forward, waiting to find Will.

He.. he couldn’t. 

He was here last night. 

He was sure of it. 

But at the same time...

_The room was empty._

It was completely empty. The room itself still had contents of Will’s. Some pictures and books remained upon shelves, a few articles of clothing left here or there, and a red beanie sitting on his desk. At the same time, the room seemed like a ghost of its former shell. All the times that Techno had entered it, it was filled with life. There were writings on the desk, either journal entries or song lyrics. There were blankets and sweaters strung upon the bed because he knew the window got a bit drafty in here. ‘ _It was one of the reasons Wilbur asked to have this room when he came to live with him and Phil,’_ he remembered as he toured around the place. His sheets were all done neatly, any shoes of his were neatly compiled by the entrance, small nick nacks laying organized on top of his empty desk. 

The window sill dragged Techno’s attention away from the shell of a room as a breeze pressed against his back and shoulders, passing him to get to Tommy. The window had been opened, and the window curtains covered them in full, hiding the fact it had ever been opened. He stuck his head out the window past the curtains, checking the ground below. He found a ladder laid against the side of the house, shoe prints leading forward the main path near their home. “I don’t remember this ladder being here when I was in the kitchen earlier. This... this was recent.” Techno turned around to tell Tommy his findings only to find the teen on the verge of distress. 

“Will? This isn’t funny man. This joke is just untasteful, even for you. Come out please, we need to have a talk. I wanna talk to you please… Wilby?” 

Tommy upon seeing the empty room had begun to grow even more worried than he had before. The room was missing, his brother was gone. _The room was missing, his brother was gone. Where had he gone?!_ His feet carried him to the closet where his hands pushed through shirts and sweaters, way fewer shirts and sweaters than normal. before checking under the bed. Every place he searched came up empty and his breathing began to quicken. This was bad. This was so bad. This was not good. This was _so_ not good. He felt hands placed on his shoulders, steadying him and as a deep voice grounded him to the floor. 

“Tommy,... You have to listen to me. I need you to breathe for me, okay? Everything is going to be fine. We have to go out and look for Will but we can only go as long as you remain calm. I don’t need you passing out from a panic attack, alright?”

Brief nods were exchanged with some ‘okays’, even a faint hug. Tommy picked himself off of the floor and into the hallway. The two brothers rushed down the stairs before throwing on shoes and practically bursting through the door. Side by side, they ran down the path closest to their house and towards the city. 

“Where do you think he could be?” Tommy asked, skidding to a halt to dodge a cart full of hale before rushing to be back beside Techno. “No clue!” Techno answered, swerving past several civilians, a few shrieking and swearing at the boys running. The city was unusually crowded that morning with several market carts and stands being pulled out for the day's business. Even if the city was small, it could take a while to navigate the city on their own. They needed to think smart and act fast, otherwise, Wilbur might be gone for good. 

“If you were leaving this place, Tommy, how would you do it?” Techno asked as Tommy quickly flashed Techno a look of confusion paired with offense.

“What? If any of us were to run away, I’d think it’d be you, sorry not sorry.” Not once did the two stop running, searching for any sign of their missing brother yet Tommy took a pause to think while Techno checked around the spot they stopped at. 

“Well if I was leaving I wouldn’t do it on foot. There aren’t too many areas around here that don't lead to a mountain or snowy biome and I know Will hates the cold. If anything else, I would go by boat. They can take you far... And.. oh my god the docs! Techno we need to-!” Tommy turned around upon his realization only to find Techno practically down the street already. “Hey! Stop leaving me!” The smaller cried out, his wings narrowing themselves behind him as he ran. They could be such a hindrance sometimes. 

“Wilbur... Wilbur…” Techno muttered to himself as he dashed towards the docs, jumping over and sliding under several obstacles in his way as he tried to make it in time. He was running out of time. It was slipping from his fingers before he even had the chance to grab onto it. For all he knew, Wilbur could have been gone already. He could be packed on a ship with total strangers as he left them all behind, all behind without a single goodbye or explanation. He could be off to who knows where and with the current state he left them in, Techno didn’t fully trust Will to come home alive. 

Something in his chest constricted as he continued to run as Tommy eventually caught up and arrived at the docs beside him. 

Out of breath, the two stopped to pant as they frantically searched the boarding ships and waiting areas for any sign of their missing brother. It wasn’t exactly full but to find him would prove to be a pain. Every time they thought they spotted him, they would only find someone else. How difficult could this be?! All they had to do was find him, simple enough. 

Wilbur was tall. 

Wilbur has dark brown hair that he had been adamant in growing to his shoulders but always kept in a ponytail. 

Wilbur has amber eyes that when in the sun could shine like gold. 

Wilbur would have a guitar with him, one in a black class. 

Wilbur was... 

“Techno... Techno look! Look! It’s Will!” 

A hand began to pull on Techno’s shirt, tugging fiercely on the brink of ripping it. But Techno couldn’t seem to care at the moment. His red and frantic eyes followed Tommy’s hand which pointed to a ship, one with light blue sail flags decorating it. The boarding plank for said ship was just removed as the last of the people leaving had just finished entering. Upon those few stood a tall, lanky figure who was leaning against the side of the ship, his elbows resting against the banister as he sighed. He was messing with something on his wrist, focusing on it as the rest of the people on board waved goodbye to the people below or simply minded their business. If Techno looked hard enough at it, he could almost make out and recognize the green emerald bracelet that was identical to the ones his brother shared. Wilbur’s lips moved as he mumbled a song to himself and even if Techno was yards away, he could recognize his voice and still hear the sweet melody that echoed from him as clear as day. 

_“My heart is pierced by Cupid_

_I disdain all glittering gold_

_There is nothing that console me_

_But my jolly sailor bold..”_

In a moment of sheer desperation, out of the sheer fear he felt for losing his brother, Techno let out one of the loudest yells he had ever given. 

“ **_Wilbur_ ** !”

He yelled for his brother as he moved to follow the ship as it was pulling away. The scream pulled Wilbur out of his song as his eyes landed upon his brothers, widening as he finally found them. A range of emotions flashed on his face from fear, sadness, and eventually, acceptance. His hand raised, the same hand wearing the emerald bracelet, and simply waved to them. The other hand briskly wiped away stray tears before mouthing something to them. 

_‘I’m sorry.’_

With that, Wilbur turned away and walked inwards onto the ship, desperate to hide the incoming tears that sprouted upon seeing the two of them. Sniffling away his thoughts, he went back to fidgeting with a bracelet before finding a seat to sit down. 

Time stood still for Techno. It felt like he was stuck. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to. Something possessed him to stay behind and he didn’t know what. It appeared Tommy was feeling the same thing as his wings rustled restlessly but it appeared he made no real move to go and chase after it. 

A sense of hopelessness washed over them as they watched the boat set off farther and farther into the ocean, leaving the two brothers standing on the edge of the dock. Beside one another, they stared into the distance as one hand found another, both slightly trembling but neither shedding tears. Shared disbelief set in between them as one spoke up. 

“What are we going to tell Phil?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This man really is gone tho... Leave any comments, questions, or anything below if you'd like!


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dadza knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter, school has been severely draining me but I wanted to get something out before Saturday. I apologize for the length but I do hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Also, I see everyone mentioning how they are waiting for Dream's arrival. All I can say is this: Very soon :)

Admittedly, Phil didn’t think that morning would be quiet as it had been. 

The trip from the previous day had worn Phil out. From having to chase after Tommy with his injured wings to having to do so much extra work to reach the apples on the suddenly now too high trees, the man was exhausted. 

He had been lying in bed just a bit too long. His hands thumbed over the cuffs of his shorts, staring at the blank white ceiling above him. A part of him wanted to continue laying there, believing the cushion and softness of the sheets and blankets could protect him from what he’d have to do today. Denying what was to come wouldn’t do him any good, he knew. It was inevitable and a growing hatred for this want to not care was festering. 

What was said wasn’t right by any means. It was straight out _fucking_ awful. 

Telling your son “Maybe you’re right” just after he said he should have died ages ago was incomprehensibly stupid of him. 

That same part of him, the one that wanted to neglect the situation, came to mind again. He didn’t mean it, he swore he didn’t mean it. Doubt arises in everyone, right? There have been moments where others have felt the pull to acknowledge something they knew was never true, to begin with. Intrusive thoughts, was that what they were? He couldn’t quite place his tongue on it and released another sigh of confusion, not the first but definitely not the last.

Phil knew that he loved Wilbur, that would never change. No matter what argument. 

He loved how Wilbur had the bravery to constantly pursue music as his main interest, even if it wasn’t something Phil was accustomed to. 

He admired just how talented his boy was, learning several instruments even if he had always been seen with his trusted guitar. That guitar that was a gift from the past, no doubt now only becoming a reminder of a better time for them both.

He found it endearing how he tried for his father and his brothers. How Wilbur attended training sessions even if he’d rather be anywhere else. How he would develop his own way to fight his brothers who had their own advantages on and off the battlefield. How he’d smile so brightly when he would land a hit on his older brother or successfully outmaneuvered the younger. He’d always stay behind to help clean up his sibling’s wounds that came from either their own swords or ones from different foes. 

He loved how Will cared. One of the things that had stayed consistent was just how Wilbur communicated with them all. A master of words his middle could be when he put the effort in but most of the time, he just didn’t. It could be frustrating at times, he couldn’t deny it. Will wasn’t one to outright say he was hurting. At the same time though, Wilbur could communicate just fine. Small notions of appreciation could be seen here or there. Phil would wake up to breakfast tea with food, something simple yet greatly appreciated. Tommy would wake up with a new disc every once in a while, each one with a different melody than the last. And Techno could wake up with new pieces of jewelry, something the piglin-hybrid had a secret fascination with. He wondered when was the last time they had done the same.

He could be so vocal sometimes but at the same time, he just wouldn’t be. Phil supposed that it didn’t matter though.

The thing he had been proudest of, being a father to three amazing sons, had slowly become warped. The second simply faded out of view and it was no one’s fault but Phil’s. And that, the suffocated the man’s lungs more than any crashing wave could. Phil owed it to Wilbur to make up for the mistakes he’s made up until now.

Let his feelings be damned. He wasn’t doing this for himself, he was doing this for Wilbur. 

Phil shuffled out of bed, carefully moving to stabilize his wings, sparing them from any further aching. They had been recovering nicely, sure, but it would take a few more days until they were ready for action. The old bandages began to unwind themselves, slipping off before being replaced with new ones. A glance at the clock told Phil that it was way later than it thought it would be. This better not become a habit of his, the boys do enough of that as it is. 

A hand stretched out to grab his signature green robe, one with hearts adorning the sleeves and chest. A green and white striped hat went foregone for now, it wasn’t like he was going anywhere in particular. You see, yesterday was but only one part of his plan. The second half would be initiated today; giving Wilbur enough space, Phil guessed, would calm the boy down and let himself at least hear Phil out. The blonde could only hope for the best though, who knows what state Wilbur would be in. The door to his room didn’t open not once when they returned yesterday evening. 

A need to comfort his child, to tell Wilbur he didn’t mean what he said before, to tell him just how much he cared over swept Phil. In the corner of his eyes, tears faintly began to appear before they were swept away by his rough hands. There wasn’t time for that. He had to prepare.

In no time, Philza had made his way down the stairs and to the kitchen. The smell of coffee lingering in the air of the kitchen greeted the man as he walked in. A black kettle sat on the counter, a quick touch of the handle proving it was devoid of any possible heat.

That was… odd. Why would the smell be so strong if no one was down here?

Had the boys woken up before him? Wilbur would have been up by then he guessed, Tommy was probably still asleep, and Techno might have stayed up all night ...again. A hand went up to rub the bridge of his nose, faint tension building up in his mind. Nevermind that, the preparations would just have to continue.

A creak of the door caught his attention. ‘ _The front door…_ ’ Phil noted before walking over to see who had just entered. A look around the corner revealed a tired duo: Tommy and Techno. The two entered the home, the smaller walking in first followed by the taller. Both carried themselves in an odd way; it looked as if they were carrying a heavyweight on their shoulders. Something so heavy that it clouded the usual shine normally present within his boy’s eyes. 

“Boys? Where did you two head out to, hm?” Phil asked, voice careful and steady. It was in his best interest to keep them both calm. Silence filled the room as Tommy moved to walk past him, his wings drooping behind him as he walked. The youngest brother stared ahead of him, an exhausted look overtaking his face, eyes blinking slowly with sluggish movements to follow.

Techno was no better, he found out. Not a word came from him. His eyes burned holes into the shoes he was staring at as if he was searching for something in the boots covering his feet. Movement from him came stiff and rugged as he moved through the house to follow after Tommy. A hand found itself on Techno’s shoulder as Phil tried to continue the conversation. 

“Techno? Is everything alright mate? You’re beginning to scare me, you and Tommy.” 

The man being questioned, Techno, turned around to Phil before staring blankly at his father. Attempts to talk were started and ended over and over, nothing coming out as he struggled for words. Frustration was growing inside of him and it was getting worse with every second they stood there. Every second they didn’t start leaving to go find Will. 

Eventually, Techno managed something. 

“I… I um. Tommy and I.. we were going to surprise Wilbur this morning. We were going to talk about everything that happened yesterday but at this point, I don’t even know if that is possible.”

Arching an eyebrow, Philza pressed on for a clearer answer than what he was given. “I don’t see why that isn’t possible Tech. Let’s just go talk to him together then alright? It’s not as if he’s far away, he’s just upstairs.” For a second, for a moment, Phil swore he saw his son standing in front of him suddenly freeze. He saw him freeze up as if he had just escaped death’s cold and firm hand. Just as quickly as he froze, Techno made an attempt to regain his composer. If not for himself, then for what was going to happen in the next few minutes.

“I don’t think it is as easy as that Phil. Wilbur... Dad, um. Wilbur…something’s wrong with Will.”

“What? What are you and Tommy not telling me Techno, I saw the way you walked in here. I can tell when something’s bothering the both of you. What’s going on? ”

Time stood still for Techno as he raked his mind to find a good way to Phil what had happened. His hands itched as they began to fidget on something, anything he could get his hands on. One hand settled on running his fingers through his hair while another fiddled with the hem of his shirt. This wasn’t nearly easy as he thought it would be on the way back. This was Philza Minecraft Caddel. He should be able to solve this. He knows this so why… why was he so nervous to tell him about it? It wasn’t as if he could just outright say-

_“Wilbur’s gone.”_

Both men turned around to see Tommy, standing at the entrance to the kitchen. His wings were no longer towards the ground but huddled around him as if they were protecting him. From what? Nobody knew. They rustled every once in a while, the constant movement reflected just how restless the young teen was becoming with this. Phil noticed this and despite his injuries, attempted to rustle and move his wings as a way to indirectly communicate. He could sense the younger was distressed but could only respond with confusion.

  
“I- I what? Wilbur’s gone? How can that-”

“Wilbur’s gone, Phil.” Tommy interrupted. His tone carried fire in every word, anger hinting at explosion with every vowel. “He ran away hitched a ride on a boat with his things backed off to who knows fucking where without even saying goodbye. That fucker didn’t even leave a note! He..” Tommy paused as he sniffled, looking up to stop the oncoming tears as if that could stop the broken damn. “H-he didn’t even say goodbye. Or give a reason why. He’s just gone Phil.”

Tommy’s sniffles filled the air of the space the three stood in as he moved for Techno, past Phil. Techo accepted Tommy with open arms, holding his brother close. If this was any other time, Techno would have greeted the hug with rejection and disdain. If this was any other time, Techno would have let the weeps of Tommy go treated by someone else as he can barely even keep himself emotionally in check. But he had to be strong. For Tommy, for Phil, for Wilbur. Even if it meant no tears would be shed. 

As for Phil, the word devastated doesn’t quite sum up what he was feeling, did it? You could throw in a few more words: Heartbreak, agony, shattered, desperate, etc. They all compiled into a tar-like feeling; One where it pulls you in deeper and deeper by the second, fooling you at times that there is a way out when there isn’t. There isn’t an escape. But damn was Phil reaching to find one. He glanced at the two brothers holding one another and deemed them okay for the moment before dashing upstairs. It wasn’t his intention to leave, not when his boys needed him. But he had to check... He had to see it with his own eyes. And sure enough…

_Wilbur’s room was empty._

The vacant room was found in the same state it had been when Techno and Tommy intruded. Phil sprung into action as he inspected every nook and cranny, searching for any trace of Wilbur that wasn’t just some throwaway item. Hysteria began to set in as he tore through the room like a storm, leaving it in a messier state than it was left in. Tears began to cloud his vision as he began to slow down, his energy depleting by the second as sobs rake through his body. His form crumpled to the wooden floor as he continued in his search for signs, answers, anything. Anything to make sense of this.

He wanted Wilbur, he wanted Wilbur back, by prime, all he wanted was his son back. 

_Instead, all he found were three letters._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Uh oh Dadza lost a kid... damn, I guess he needs some more practice. Leave any comments, questions, or anything below if you'd like!
> 
> Also this is crossposted! I have this on Wattpad under the same title but a slightly altered username.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbah's back baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a bit beefier??? I don't know. I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm running on hot chocolate and 4 hours of sleep from yesterday, I am TIRED. 
> 
> Also, I wanted to make a note! It's nothing serious or anything but this story won't be following the canon in the sense of we have the Dream smp, Lmanberg, Badlands, etc. I'm just taking some interpretations of the characters and slapping them in an AU, just some good old harmless fun. I don't want to mislead anyone in case they were hoping for something with the Canon SMP lore. The characters I have tags for are the ones I'm going to use so if you don't see one up there that you wanted I'm sorry!

The beach at home was beautiful, Wilbur thought with no doubt, but it couldn’t compare to the wide-open waves of the sea.

Just leaning against the banister of the boat, Wilbur looked over the ship to star at the waves crashing against the bottom of the ship. His reflection stared back at him, flashing in and out as the movement of the water swept the fake him away. Salt filled the air as the waves vehemently carried the scent all throughout the deck of the boat and back into the ocean air. A breath of fresh life filled his lungs as he took it in deeply and released out his thoughts with a sigh. It was peaceful for him, tranquil even. 

To others, it just wouldn’t make sense. The noises of passengers onboard beside Wilbur challenged the mighty roar of the water below, shouts and shrills of laughter bouncing off one another in a cacophony. If he paid attention enough, Wilbur could hear the sounds of someone becoming seasick, someone sobbing into another’s shoulder, the sound of someone calling out for him back home even. Despite this, he remained at peace. The cradle of the waters below rocked the boat ever so gently and Wilbur found himself following its pattern, swaying as if sync in both body and mind.

He could never place it, but the sea just  _ called _ to him.

It beckoned him beneath underneath its rough yet serene surface, tempting to pull him down the longer he closed his eyes. If he listened hard enough, he could hear it. 

  
  


He could hear the song of the sea. He could hear it and it was  _ beautiful. _

  
  


Eventually, his slender fingers began to tap in time while his head bobbing gently to the beat forming in his heart. At some point, the song became so loud, so charming and alluring, that he couldn’t stop himself from joining in. Wilbur began to vocalize, echoing the notes sung to him from below, feeling emotions resonating and settling in his chest. Its familiarity mocked the warmth of a hug from an old friend and superseded that. Something in him guided him through every count of the song, a song he wasn’t even sure how he knew the words to. 

It served well in distracting him from the pain and hurt he was leaving behind. An image of his brothers standing beside one another, eyes wide and longing staring back at him, flashed in his mind. The warmness guiding him through the song suddenly turned cold as a gasp was released, panicked amber eyes opening to regain their surroundings. Slowly but surely, a crowd had developed around the now nervous young man. Onlookers felt their breath still as the song had abruptly came to an end, the suspension building up suddenly snapping like a wire. Most were quick to clap for him, others slowly watching as if in a trance before eventually joining in. There looked to be people of all ages, shapes, and sizes there to watch him sing. Even some stranger sporting a white mask and dark green tattered cloak. _How_ _Odd._

A coin or two were placed beside his guitar case that laid on the deck of the ship. Giving a quick boy to his audience, Wilbur ducked his head before rushing to evade any questions or more interactions. His solace was found in an abandoned corner of the ship, one that went abandoned by his fellow passengers. The small nook of space welcomed him and he welcomed the chance to be alone once again. His fingers began to twirl an emerald bracelet decorating his wrist. ‘A friendship emerald’ his eldest brother had called it as a birthday gift, for which, he couldn’t remember. A small smile graced his face as he eventually went back to staring at the vast ocean ahead of him. It didn’t reach his eyes but maybe sometimes it could.

Little by little, slowly yet surely, Wilbur began to forget about the call that echoed his name, the call that blessed him with such a lovely song. 

__________

The ship that Wilbur found himself on was destined to stop in the country of Eislons: A country that held a reputation of guiding ‘lost souls’. You see, Eislons didn’t simply give its inhabitants a simple answer as to what they were looking for. No amount of begging could change that. It had been rumored that it could help guide you through subtle nudges; a broken path sign at the right place, a stranger suddenly appearing out of nowhere, anything really. It was as if the gods above lent a helping hand in showing you your destiny. All answers for those with no clue lied in Eislons. 

At least, that’s what Phil had told him. Okay, maybe not him. He couldn’t help but overhear the story about such a magnificent place that Tommy got to hear one night before bed. It left his mind wondering until the early morning until his collapse. 

However, the trip there took time. It was days before he eventually got there, subjecting himself to sleeping in a single albeit cramped room where it was just he, himself, and his thoughts. Isolation became a growing friend to Wilbur, someone who kept him company, kept him safe on this small journey. It was alright, he found. It wasn’t the best, but it was okay. This was okay.

It was another morning onboard the ship, Wilbur now writing lyrics for a song he was beginning to develop while onboard. Admittedly, he was still hurting. That much wouldn’t change. No matter how forward he looked, no matter how many times he heard the song of the sea, thoughts of his family would flash back into his mind until it consumed him. Part of him wanted to forget all about this. This was supposed to be for Will. This was a chance to start anew and meet new people, see new things, become a new and better person. Feelings of the past would only shackle him down and delay his journey but… a part of him couldn’t bear to part with them. 

They were his family. He’s known them for all of his life, he simply couldn’t throw them away. He didn’t have to throw them away, he could always remember them.  _ Not like he could forget them even if he wanted to _ … That’d be enough, right? A few more stray thoughts brought a fury of scribbles onto the journal in front of him. His pen only stopped when a few stray knocks landed on the door.

“Mr. Caddel!” a passenger, probably his neighbor or something, called out for him. “The boat’s docking soon! We are here!” What was her name again, Mona? She was quite the neighbor. Bless her soul, she never complained when he’d play in the dead of night, in fact encouraging his playing. 

“It’s Soot now,” Wilbur called out, hastily throwing himself off the makeshift bed. His belongings found themselves in his backpack once again and on his bed as he prepared himself. 

“Oh! Mr. Soot? How charming! Well, it was nice talking to you Mr.Soot.This is our last goodbye before we leave the ship and probably never see each other again. I hope you have a safe journey and finish your song!”

Wilbur opened the door and offered the girl a polite smile accompanied by a nod. He exited the room, bags in hand and on his back. “To you as well Ms. Spifey. The journey part, not the song part, aha. But you knew that..”

A few chuckles were exchanged before they both left to depart off the board after days of seaside travel. Wilbur as much as he wanted to leave frowned at the idea of leaving the sea. In all honesty, despite it being so new and him being alone, he was having fun. It wasn’t the kind to laugh out loud about, but fun nevertheless. It felt like a mini adventure! But now, now he was onto his main journey.

He didn’t know where he was going on his overall journey, but he knew where he was going first. A place from his memories, his good memories: the Kalianos Amphitheater. 

The walk to the now-abandoned amphitheater wasn’t as bad as he’d expected it to be. All of the paths looked to be familiar, somehow the same after years of him not visiting with his father. They weren’t tended to though; the weeds growing around and into the path itself said enough. The worst part of everything might have been simply asking for direction. Just because he remembered with the outside theatre looked like didn’t mean he knew its exact location. To make matters worse, apparently, nobody had gone in that direction in years. No one that locally lived in the populated cities anyhow. Wilbur had to put his blind trust into the words of one of the village elders, their vague directions of “Over the valley’s peak and below the mountain’s smile,” not entirely helping. 

“That was so vague! What does “Below the mountain’s smile” mean anyway?” Wilbur asked to no one, his voice echoing in the empty forest as he stopped in the middle of the path. A huff of hair moved strands of hair from his face, up and out of the way of his vision as he spun around, looking for any indication of abnormal landforms.

Wilbur spun to a halt as a rustling of a few bushes and branches caught his attention. As quick as it came, the rustling disappeared leaving Wilbur extremely on edge. Any peaceful creatures nearby skittered away, the need to remain safe and away from danger overtaking them. Wilbur acted in a similar manner as his fingers absentmindedly latched themselves onto the crossbow that was latched to his hip. When nothing moved or sounded off, his hand dropped and ushered him to continue on, following the path. If there was something dangerous lurking in those shadows, he didn’t need to stick around and find out. 

After a few more hours of aimlessly following the now fading dirt path led Wilbur to a small tunnel, an all too familiar tunnel. “Finally!” He cried out as his feet dashed to exit through the other side. He whisked away stray cobwebs that littered his path, even spitting away a few that caught his face in them. No longer lit, the tunnel was all too dark for Wilbur to see any crevasses where he could trip or fall. A cracked tile even caused the young man to stumble a bit in his running, but that didn’t matter. The light at the end of the tunnel was all too promising. The light at the end of the tunnel showed,

“The Kalianos Amphitheater,” he breathed out, the air leaving his lungs as he halted to a stop. 

Wilbur found himself staring and in the glory that was the remains of this once beloved theatre. Although it was clear that it hadn’t been used in many  _ many _ years, its beauty still reigned supreme. The stone and concrete of the outside space had a strong resolve in how well it aged, not too many cracks appearing in the foundation. The dusty yet polished stone beneath his feet shined well enough to show a faded version of himself, a small wave of the hand showing before he went to cover his mouth. The shock was still setting in.

Walking more into the space, Wilbur set down his bags as he went towards the stage. A freehand pushed away the dust that formed over years of negligence, speckled black and white quartz greeting him. Above him stood beautiful marble sculptures of creatures that screamed beauty incarnate, their appearance being a mash between that of a human and that of a sea creature. 

“Sirens…” He whispered in astonishment as he continued walking, eventually finding a staircase the led him upstage. Standing there, Will found himself coming to tears as he blinked rapidly. 

“I-I did it. I’m here… I did it.” It took a few seconds for it to set in for Wilbur, his eyes lighting up as he spun around, arms stretched outwards.” I fucking did it!” Wilbur screamed, a joyous laugh following soon after as he hugged himself. “I’m here!”

His hands quickly went to wipe away the stray tears collecting on his face. Even despite the fact, there was no one there, Wilbur couldn’t help but do so. Even in his moments alone, he hesitated to feel. 

With still so much to see, Will continued his search of the theatre, examining every secret room and area as if it would disappear if he were to blink. His younger mind simply couldn’t appreciate the beauty that was this amazing creation. It was just too good! His heart melted at the fact he would have to eventually leave. One thing’s for sure though, before he was set to leave, Wilbur would use the space at least once. He wasn’t an actor, no not really, but Will knew one thing; he had his singing.

Sitting down on the stage’s floor, he reached over and opened his Guitar’s case, bringing out the carefully crafted instrument. Placed in his lap and carefully tuned, Wilbur faced the stadium of seats and opened his mouth to sing.

_ “I think this time I'm dying _

_ I'm not melodramatic, I'm just pragmatic beyond any reasoning _

_ For thinking I've got fuckin' rabies or something _

_ I think this time I'm dying _

_ I think this time I'm dying” _

His voice albeit soft at first yet growing in volume and power over time. The words spilling echoed around the entire amphitheater, the melody of his song filling every inch of the surrounding area. The strings of his guitar guiding him as the song continued on, a brief interlude without lyrics being over before it begun as he started again.

_ “I think I've lost my mind _

_ Blurring the fact and the fictions _

_ While simultaneously fixing _

_ Myself up with a girl _

_ Named Panadol _

_ Bite the tablet, elixir _

_ Disintegrate, mouth's a mixer _

_ I think I've lost my mind _

_ I think I've lost my mind” _

Tears in his eyes began to burst at his eyes as he closed them, his fingers strumming away at the chords he spent days memorizing and practicing over. Wilbur felt a bit eased as he continued. And then something strange happened. Even if Wilbur couldn’t see it, Wilbur blinked as his eyes began to glow a faint gold, rivaling the sun in brightness. His hair began to slowly lift up, as if underwater itself, strands swirling and floating around. Despite all of this, Wilbur was too engrossed in his song to notice or care. In his singing, he didn’t even notice the guest that had arrived to watch from the entrance of the tunnel.

_ “If I could just break one more night _

_ Maybe I could wake up and feel alright _

_ I optimistically set alarm clock times _

_ Serves only to mock me with flashing lights” _

Just how much of this was a distraction? Honestly. His fingers stuttered in their strumming as a pang of hurt flashed in his chest. All of this, seeing this place he used to love as a kid,  _ still loves now even, _ just how much of this was to deflect off the fact that he had left all he had ever known behind. Just how much of this was pointless? He blinked, the glowing suddenly gone from his eyes as he stared forward, his floating hair now gone and undisturbed. 

_ “I think I've made my choice _

_ I'm a disease playing victim _

_ Slip the face slip the victory _

_ I think I've made my choice _

_ Sick, secluded and hatred _

_ Void the plans friends are making _

_ I think I've found my voice _

_ I'm a leech-sucking blood bags _

_ Taste defeat, it's a sandbag _

_ Saline solution _

_ Saline solution to all your _

_ Saline solution to all your _

_ Saline solution to all your problems” _

At the end of the song, Wilbur found himself standing, brisking away any more rogue tears that had formed in his singing session. His guitar was now encased in its black cover and returned to the rest of his belongings. Needing to leave the stage to get some fresh air, Will retreated towards an exit he found while exploring. It led him out to a backstage area that was created on top of a cliffside. It has polished stone railings decorating it to keep visitors safe, railings that Wilbur found himself clinging onto. Taking in a deep breath, Wilbur sighed as he got a view of the sun, slowly setting itself down past the horizon. 

He closed his eyes as he gently swayed back and forth, remembering his first day on the boat, the rocking of the waves, that song… His mind began to wander back to the song as he hummed it, rocking back and forth on his heels as he tried to remember its contents. If he thought hard and long enough, he could feel that same warmth, that same feeling from before. Unfortunately, however, he didn’t get very long to do so.

A “Don’t!” abruptly interrupted his thoughts and caught his attention as arms latched onto his torso and yanked him back from the ledge, back from the song calling out to him, back away, and onto the floor. Landing on his side, Wilbur groaned as he pushed whoever was previously holding him before reaching for his crossbow. Quickly loading up the weapon, Wilbur scooted back and away from whoever the stranger was.    
  


“ I don’t know who you are or what you just tried to do but I need you to get the fuck away from me, alright?”

Wilbur clenching onto the crossbow even more so as he saw the figure get up, stretching a bit as he turned to face Wilbur. He donned a white mask that had a..a smiley face? What? The mask itself barely covered the man’s entire face, missing his mouth, and just barely stopped at his cupid’s bow. He was shrouded in a dark green cloak, black fingerless gloves, as well as different variants of gear. What immediately caught Wilbur’s eyes was the sword attached to the man’s hip.

“Look man, I don’t know what’s going on but we can talk this out alright? There are other answers out there.” The man clad crouched down to meet Wilbur’s eye level, eventually setting the sword he saw Wilbur eyeing. Was he, was he reasoning with Wilbur?!   
  


“What?! What are you talking about?” Wilbur’s voice came out exasperated, inflicting towards the end as he struggled to find out what this guy was doing there in all places.    
  


“What do you mean what am I talking about?! You were clearly about to jump!” The man pointed to the balcony Wilbur had been near, the ledge that seemed just a bit too coincidental. Wilbur’s eyes widened as his grip on the crossbow loosened even if by the smallest bit.

_ Oh. _

Perhaps he had been standing there a bit too long. 

Wilbur’s back now rested against another railing in his attempts to move away from him as he tried to stand up. Now on his feet, Wilbur looked down at the man in front of him as he rolled his eyes. “No. Well I mean no, I was not trying to jump. I might be upset at the current moment but I have a bit more sense than to do something like that. I mean honestly, how risky was that on your part. You just go up to some guy and hug him away? I could have stabbed you or something. Bloody hell.”

A few beats went by before a small and eventual chuckle came from the man. It wasn’t some sinister, villainous laugh that came from a villain from stories of the past. It wasn’t a laugh that sounded condescending in any manner. It simply sounded… a bit like a tea kettle?

“Well,” he began as he was quick to move to match Wilbur on his feet, an inch or two shorter than the musician. “Judging by how you haven’t stabbed me yet, I think I’m doing just fine for now. I’m just glad that, you know, you weren’t trying anything risky.” He shifted awkwardly, a hand going to rub the back of his neck as the conversation continued. 

“Uh-huh. And what do I call my knight in green armor, hmm? Green boy maybe? No, that’s a bit too obvious”

The fellow young man in front of Wilbur laughed as he found the slight boost in confidence a bit endearing. “Green boy? My name isn’t anything like that, unfortunately for you. It’s Dream, just Dream.” Dream relaxed as he offered a gloved hand to Wilbur, a shy smile appearing on what showed of his face.    
  


Wilbur looked down at the hand in front of him, hesitant to shake it or even put down his weapon. His intentions seemed good enough, he supposed. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t let his guard down though. It wasn’t the time for that. His journey had only just begun. In the end, he placed his crossbow down and returned the handshake, a smile of his own appearing.

“Nice to meet you Dream. I’m Wilbur, Wilbur Soot.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! We have a green boy!. Leave any comments, questions, kudos, or anything below if you'd like!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knew it was so hard to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain is F R I E D. I hope you all enjoy everything though, next chapter will flashback to Dream and Wilbur. I just felt like I owed this to those who commented about the letters!

The three pieces of paper stared back at the family of three huddled around a wooden table.

The writing on the letters was unmistakably Wilburs, no doubt about it. The A’s and the T’s were curved in just the right that made it immediately stand out to Phil. The handwriting was a bit slanted, anyone could tell it was a bit rushed by a spare glace, but it was written in such a way that it breathed finality into it. There’s an unmistakable “This is my goodbye” quality to it. 

Three papers rang out:

_ “To Techno” _

_ “To Tommy” _

_ “To Phil” _

In a way, there’s a sense of mockery lying in the papers in front of here. Even faced down, the paper’s words scream at them. They scream, “ _ You fools! Idiots! Look at your mistakes. Look at what you’ve caused. Your Wilbur is gone, how does it feel? How does it feel, hm? Painful? Are you filled with regret? Shame isn’t it?”  _ The silence amongst the men was becoming suffocating; the words moving forward to grip at their hearts, effectively twisting and turning it. Their hearts were enclosed and trapped in a standstill and no one knew how to effectively move. 

_ All this and they hadn’t even read the paper. _

It had been a few days since Wilbur had disappeared. The time spent in between then and now was used for everyone to come to terms with what really happened. Grief, shock, anger, and sadness all settled into their minds and began to rattle around while there. Wilbur’s disappearance threw everyone off. No one left their rooms. No one had the energy to indulge themselves in what they loved whether it be a pet moth, a disc, a blade, or training. Life was now stained a bland grey for the caddels, light escaping through all cracks and turning into something much darker.

Ever since the day of the disappearance, Phil had immediately begun to plan a trip, or a rescue mission if you could call it that. His boy was grown, sure, but Wilbur was still his son. He was still his son and there was so much that went unsaid between the two of them. Their feelings, Wilbur’s abilities, everything. Phil hoped to talk about everything on Wilbur’s upcoming birthday this year but fate had not been on his side as he once believed it to be. Hours on his end were spent gathering resources, preparing bags, weapons, anything that could prove useful for where they were going. 

Eislons was a fantastic place, in theory, sure, that much was true from the stories he told his children. It was a mystical country filled with different people and creatures of a wide variety but it was also filled with danger. The gods could change in nature at the drop of a dime; one second they are benevolent and kind, the next they are viciously tearing you apart before spitting you back out for the rats. Nothing was guaranteed, Wilbur’s safety and life aren't guaranteed. And that, that scared Phil most of all.

Their bags sat packed at the entrance of the home, waiting to be put on and carried for what would have seemed like miles. To most, Eislons would take days to reach. Travel would have to be done with boats even if two out of the three of them had wings to carry them. For the normal person that is. Phil wasn’t a normal person, however. Phil had access to knowledge of a form of travel that would prove faster and easier for them all even if a bit dangerous; Nether traveling. Making the portal itself was the easiest part; lava from the mines and water from the shore would combine to make an obsidian creation that could make travel a bit easier for them. The hardest part of it all would be the actual trek through the Nether. It was an uncomfortably hot climate in it itself, danger lurking at every corner. It was completely and utterly filled with hostile mobs who wouldn’t think twice before killing something foreign. It was a dangerous place but with the time they had all spent preparing, they needed to catch up and they needed to do it quickly. No doubt Wilbur would have been well on his way by now. Distance works differently in the north, the distance would be shorter and so would the time. 

Phil looked up at his boys, eyes searching for any sign of movement in them. His reluctance to touch his paper seemed to echo the sentiments of the other two residents seated just beside him. His fingers gripped at the green folds of his robe underneath the table. More than anything else, he wanted to hold his sons. Phil wanted to embrace Tommy in a hug and bring in Techno because of how stubborn he could be. He wanted to say that it was alright, he wanted to say it was okay. Maybe then he could convince himself that it would all be alright too. If anything from their encounter at the front door told him anything it told Phil that wouldn’t be wise to do so. Resentment towards their father, maybe even towards themselves, was already there and he didn’t need to somehow make it worse.

God, what was he doing as a parent?

Tommy sat sideways in his seat, a habit he excused by saying his wings were uncomfortable when he sat regularly. No one had the true guts to correct him every time they saw him and eventually, it became normal for him. “It looks kind of cool as well, doesn’t it?” He supplied once at dinner only to be met with Wilbur’s “Sure if you’re trying to be an edgy teen rebel I guess.”His hands were holding each other, entangled in a tight grip as his wings flexed themselves, moving in and out. A calming method he picked up from Phil whether he knew it or not. 

Techno didn’t seem any better. His eyes remained trained and focused on the table in front of him, unwavering in the staring contest he was unknowingly in. His shoulders jutted up every once in a while, moving with the small shivers that slightly shook them. Pink strands of hair that used to carefully frame his face now laid unruly as they were scattered across his face, the rest of his long hair becoming a bit dull and matte. It was folded by heavy hands into a clumsily made braid. It wasn’t like the ones Wilbur used to delicately untangle before re-braiding into a tiny tight masterpiece. He didn’t adorn the usual jewelry he wore; all rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets he wore were nowhere to be seen. All he had was a singular bracelet, an emerald one. One that he would constantly rub over with his thumbs. Silence and hurt washed over his form until he became a stranger in the other’s eyes. 

Phil sighed, a breath of air leaving his mouth as he extended his hand. Picking up the papers, he turned them over and glanced at the names they were for. He gently set each letter in front of their respective person before going to look at his. Despite staring at the paper in front of him, Philza couldn’t bring himself to read its true contents. All he could read were the words “ Failure failure fAILURE FAILURE F _ AILU _ **_RE FAILURE FAILURE_ ** .”

Tommy glanced over at Phil, looking at the way his father gripped the edges of the paper as if death was staring at him and had its sharp blade on the edge of his neck. A slight scoff came from the boy before he turned in his seat to read his own paper. The jerk may have left without a proper goodbye at least, but that didn’t matter. They would find him, they would bring him back. So why did this feel like forever?

Deciding to get it totally over with, Tommy reached and grabbed his own paper and began to read. “Dear Tommy, My Tommy. My Theseus. That’s what Techno used to call you, yeah? I used to secretly love those stories he would tell us. I wish we could hear some more at some point. If you are reading this letter, then that means that first, you found it. Good on you.” A small ‘unbelievable’ left Tommy before he continued. 

“Second, that means I’ve truly decided to leave home. It seems like a spur of the moment to you probably, something idiotic and totally like me. But for me, I know it’s something I need to do. I need to get out and find a place where I can begin anew and truly find a less miserable version of myself.” At that point, both men at the table turned to listen to the boy. Tommy had held the paper in one hand, the other going to rub his face as he blinked a few times. His wings fluttered once again, reminding him to sit up and fix his posture as he read. 

“I do want to tell you something though. It wasn’t your fault. It was never your fault. My incompetence has nothing to do with you. I don’t want you feeling bad, if you do, because of me. This I think might be the best for all of us. It’s o-okay I leave b-because in the end…” 

Tommy found himself stumbling on words as he blinked rapidly, biting his lip before continuing. His voice was shaky, cracking occasionally in the utmost undignified manner he could muster.

“Because in the end T-Tommy, you breathe life into everything you touch. Well, almost everything. My destruction has been a long endeavor at this point and whether you knew it or not, you were delaying my end. You are such a good kid Tommy, such a good kid. Your heart isn’t what I’d call definitely pure but it’s true. It’s true, charming, and most of all real and that Tommy, that you can’t change. People see the good in you, I can too. I want you to stay that way, for the both of us. Stay happy and true Tommy, I love you.”

Tommy found himself pausing to rub his eyes, refusing to show his family his emotional wreckage before he could ever come to terms with it. He took a deep breath as he felt a hand on his shoulder, the hand of Phil. A voice in him told him to fling it away, claiming it was all Phil’s fault, he’s why Wilbur’s gone, he should rot. Another told him that Tommy was just as bad, Tommy was to blame. In the end, he just sat there and finished reading. “ I hope you take care of Clementine and your discs, I know you love them more than anything else besides Techno and Dad. Goodbye. Signed, Wilbur.” 

Techno released a sigh as a handy hesitantly went to pick up his own letter, eyes scanning over the first few lines as he swallowed uncomfortably. “I… I guess I’ll go next then. Since no one’s in a rush.” 

“Dear Techno, I know we haven’t exactly been the closest lately. Perhaps it’s my fault that I never attended more of your sparring matches to catch up. Or maybe it's the fact I haven’t been going on mining or late night adventures with you anymore. I’m sorry to disappoint you with my absence but I don’t think it went that unnoticed. Here’s to hoping that this absence won’t be regarded as much either. “

“Technoblade, I’m sorry we didn’t have the time to fix everything. I’m sorry I won’t be able to listen to your farming or battle stories anymore. I’m sorry I can’t braid the strands of that long nest of hair you have for you anymore. This was a decision I made on my own. It’s for the best, for me and everyone else. I’m sure you must understand, with being the eldest of us and all. You have to look out for Tommy. He needs someone like you, someone who is wise beyond his years and who shares common interests. Keep him on a straight path. He’ll need that, I could never give it to him. Not well at least. Promise me that you will.”   
  


“Perhaps one day you can find me on one of your amazing adventures. By then I hope I am someone you could be proud to call your brother. Someone who won’t be looked down upon and who you all can love. Stay strong Techno, I love you. Goodbye. Signed Wilbur.”

Techno’s tone remained steady throughout his whole reading. It was only until he hit the ending that his voice wavered, inflicting upwards and trembling as he finished. He couldn’t break now, they needed to find Wilbur. Tommy needed him, Phil needed him. He couldn’t just break now. Emotions restled inside him for control as he set the paper down and stared at Phil expectantly. Tommy joined in his staring, looking at his father as if to say ‘You’re up next.’

Philza looked at his boys once again, a tired and pained look clear on both of them. Silently, he acquiesced as he began to read the final left to him. 

  
  


“To Phil, I bet you were expecting it to say, Dad, weren’t you? I will admit, I still love you dearly Dad. That won’t ever change. It hasn’t from the first day you found me in the city’s marketplace, all lost and scared, hungry beyond my mind. When you took me to the house, I thought I finally had a place I could call home. Now I’m finding that I don’t know where home is anymore. Wherever it is, it isn’t here.”

“These halls remain empty to me and yes, I find a bit of resentment towards you. I couldn’t ever lie to you, no not really. I wished you and I could connect more. I wished you were able to find time as you used to for just us. I wished you would voluntarily listen to me play instead of mentioning me to “keep it down”. This endless saga for me has to end, otherwise, I don’t know what I’ll do.” 

“I’m sorry for yelling at you the other day, I am. It won’t happen again. A lot of things won’t happen again. I’m leaving and getting out of your hair once and for all. No more will I have to burden you by being your son, by being a foreign entity within your own home. I’m even planning on changing my name. I won’t be a Caddel anymore, I’ll be a Soot. Fitting for a stain on your family’s history, right? Well no more.”

“Dad, Phil, I can’t stop myself from caring. I don’t want to. But I can’t stay here. I need to go. This is for the best, I promise. I love you Dad, Goodbye. Signed, Wilbur.”

  
‘ ** _Failure failure failure failure failure failure failure Failure failure failure failure Failure failure failure failure Failure failure failure failure_** ‘ rang and echoed in Phil’s mind as he set down the paper and covered his mouth, sobs wracking through the man as he choked on one. It blared throughout as his wings came to shield him, covering him up as he tried to calm down. Abruptly, Phil stood up and moved out of the room to go collect his things and work on building the portal outside. He shuddered as he breathed in and out, his wings flexing themselves a bit as he focused on his goal; finding Will. 

His own sons stared at the man, different levels of concern showing as they both stood up and watched him walk. Not one moved to comfort him because how could they. They couldn’t even comfort themselves let alone each other. Each brother picked up a bag at the entrance of their home, the door already open from Phil’s exit. Shoes were slipped on as they exited the house. Despite the sadness drowning them at the table, the brothers found determination lit in themselves. A need to prove Wilbur wrong arose in both of them. They loved their brother and they needed him back.  No matter how far he was. A glowing and lit portal faced the three as they hesitantly stepped inside, glowing purple particles swirling around as their vision became distorted and they landed in a strange new hot and red terrain. 

Wilbur was their mission and they wouldn't stop until they found him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The SBI is on the move! Leave any comments, questions, kudos, or anything below if you'd like!


	9. A/N

Hi everyone! It's ya boy, Henlo! 

I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who has left such nice comments, kudos, and ideas for me! I really enjoy writing this story out for everyone and seeing how everyone loves it all so much. It makes my heart swoon when I see just how much people care about something I didn't even have too much confidence in. Writing has always been a bit hard for me as I didn't quite know if I sounded stupid or not. I have no plans on stopping though! I want to see this story to the end, I have my notes all planned out of course ;]

The only thing, though, is that I have to take a small break. I'm sorry I don't post that consistently or frequently as I wanted to. I hate leaving you guys without content for a while but school has been really bunkering me down and it prevents me from writing as much as I want to sometimes. Another thing, while it isn't as important, is my home life. I don't really want to get too personal on AO3 of all places but right now my mental state is kind of deteriorating with a lot of passing days. It's just not been a good time for me. I'm not getting physically hurt or anything like that, you guys don't have to worry about that at all. I'm really just not mentally feeling good. It's been kind of like that since the pandemic began and right now it's just getting worse and stuff. 

I don't want to stress anyone out or make anyone feel bad though, I just wanted to briefly tell you guys why you might go a while without chapters or if stuff gets shortened. Again, I really am sorry but I think it's for the best. And who knows, maybe things will suddenly get better even if it isn't 100% possible. Thank you again for reading everyone, it means the world to me. It really does.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So a green dude and a siren sit at a campfire. Conversations ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miss me? I wasn't gone for that long, I know, but I honestly looked forward so much to writing this story you have no idea. Updates might still be infrequent though. Also, thank you everyone for the kind words! I honestly didn't expect this much support and you guys made me c r y.

“So… You ran away?” Dream asked, his hands swirling around a slim dagger he seemingly pulled from nowhere. The quick motion brought out a flinch from Wilbur but didn’t bring him to his feet. His tone remained light and a bit carefree, nothing tense or restraining present. ‘I’m safe, for now’ Wilbur decided as he watched the stranger in front of him. The campfire between them flickered back and forth illuminating their faces as they sat together on the stage of the theatre. 

The campfire they made was a small one, one that could only really support just the both of them. They had their respective sleeping areas across the stage. After all, they had only just met one another. That and it wasn’t in exactly the best way either. It was safe to say that neither one of them trusted one another just yet. Despite this, they sat beside one another, each with their respective meals. 

Wilbur supplied a nod, his eyes trained on the fire in front of him as he searched for words. They had broken into a conversation a while back when the silence shared between them became too much for Dream.

_When it became clear the both of them would be spending a few more hours in each other’s company, the masked man asked Wilbur a few questions. Nothing more than small conversation starters at first. ‘What’s your favorite color? What do you think of this place?’ And etc. Of course, Wilbur supplied and demanded just as easily, meeting the man word for word. ‘It’s yellow, back where I’m from we had thousands of yellow primroses and they were oh so beautiful. Shame, I kind of miss them now.’ and ‘The theatre is one of my favorite places on earth. I feel at home with it, you know. You?’ and so on and so forth._

_At some point, the two began to slip into a more heartfelt conversation. It wasn’t one where the former was sobbing their heart out in desperation while the latter consoled them. Nothing at all. The pair simply began to talk about their reasons for coming to Eislons. Nothing shared was relayed in exact detail, neither of them could know what they were saying was true after all. It’s not like they planned to see more of each other after this night. What was the harm? Dream was just another Mona waiting to happen; Someone who he’d forget all about in a week._

_Sensing the remaining tension and how they danced around starting, Dream took the first leap. Trusting Wilbur, to him at least, wasn’t proving that hard. It wasn’t as if he helpless or anything, the bow resting at his side proved it. The way he almost shot him with no hesitance earlier at the cliffside proved that. His willingness to listen to Dream at their makeshift campgrounds and not leave spoke volumes to him. Not only that, there was just… an air around Wilbur. One that made him just so interesting. It alluded him, leaving him in a state where couldn’t put his finger on it._

_In the brief moments they had spent together, Wilbur had demonstrated charisma, intellect, and overall presence that he had never felt anywhere else. It was something he wanted to keep a hold of just for a bit longer if he could. Selfish? Of course, he knows that. But he knows it’s all he can hope for. For that to happen though, Wilbur’s trust was essential. Small details wouldn’t hurt, it wasn’t like he was explaining a tragic backstory._

_“I’m heading home,” Dream began. “I was out on a mission because my, I guess you could call them my parent, needed. They were planning to go but they said they had business to attend to. Naturally, I offered myself to go. Here,” Dream paused to scoot over towards his belongings, shuffling through some bags._

_Eventually, Dream produced a sack full of different sized lilac crystals. They carried a slight magenta sheen over them, constantly radiating and illuminating their faces as they looked at them. Wilbur’s eyes slightly widened, his breath almost getting stuck in his throat. ‘They’re stunning’ he thought to himself, blinking a few teams before leaning away from the bag. It went unspoke that the crystals clearly held some form of importance to Dream, the way he showed the bag’s contents his knuckles turned white gripping them. Wilbur didn’t need to make the man feel more uncomfortable with leaning over it._

_“Do you know what they’re for? I’ve never seen crystals like those and I’ve read about several of them. It’s not a regular ore either, is it?” Wilbur questioned as he crossed his legs, leaning back on his palms as he stared up at the walls of the amphitheater above them, new details in the carvings appearing that he hadn’t noticed before._

_“No, Not entirely. All I know is that they’re important. That’s it.” It was to the point and succinct. The conversation was about the crystals was over and once again they were sealed away into a bag, tucked amongst other belongings._   
  


_The pattering of raindrops began to fill the air as a wave of rain splashed onto the surrounding area. Wilbur took in a deep breath, the scent of the rain invading his senses as it brought about a calming feeling. It would be rude of him not to at least share something, a bit wouldn’t hurt. “Well, if you’re going to your home you could call me your opposite. I left mine, my old home I mean.”_

And so here we are now.

The time the two had spent together had been nice. Not anything amazing so far, but it made Wilbur feel content. Funnily enough, it was one of the nicest interactions Wilbur has had within the past month. Nothing felt entirely forced between them. Wilbur didn’t see Dream once in a while and put on a smile to make sure he wasn’t being a nuisance. It was freeing and damn that piece of him, but a sliver thought that Dream could be; he could be a home. ‘That’s silly.’ He thought to himself as his eyes looked over the flickering fire.

“I just, I feel like I’ve known you for longer than we’ve actually been together. It’s crazy, right? It seems a bit too normal,” Wilbur ran a hand through his hair. He let it breathe as he freed his brown locks from their hold of a ponytail. Strands of hair framed his face and his shoulders as he chuckled. He could have sworn he heard Dream halt in his breathing before returning to normal. It was probably the wind or rain, probably. 

Dream shifted where he was as a hand quickly adjusted his mask before going to fold his arms. “I uh, actually. About that. I’ve actually seen you before.” His gazed despite being hidden behind a mask was focused on the space of floor between the two of them. His voice wavered a bit, something akin to embarrassment flooding his tone. Wilbur tilted his head as his hands went to retie his hair, pondering on where he could have seen him before. Where, where, where. Where had he seen Dream before? Green cloak… white mask… tall…

Oh.

The light-hearted aura around them that they both worked so hard to build all came to an end once Wilbur realized just why Dream looked so familiar. 

Wilbur’s bright smile, the smile Dream was starting to find so endearing, immediately dropped as Wilbur moved to create more distance between the two. “You were on the boat!” He proclaimed, a finger pointing at Dream accusingly. Stepping toward the stranger, Wilbur’s hands found their way onto his crossbow once again. Amber eyes stared into now anxious green ones, tracking their owner’s every moves. The arrow loaded in Sally was aimed directly at the space in between the eyes on his mask. If it meant anything, he wasn’t planning on shooting there. A shot at the legs would have given him enough time to run.

“W-wait! Don’t shoot! Just let me explai- Hey, just wait!” Dream put his hands out to explain, the movement making Wilbur hold onto Sally, even more, moving forward with even more intent. The young adult clad in green sidestepped and the two circled one another.

“You have three seconds,” Wilbur bit out, all of the formal politeness in his mouth gone.

Dream suddenly struggled to find the words to tell Wilbur. His regular weapons were all too far and Wilbur’s long-range crossbow would knock him down before his close-range dagger could get him. What would he tell him, the truth? The truth would make him look like an idiot! ‘What do I do, what do I do?” His brain was running through several scenarios as Wilbur roughly counted down to one. All too quickly, Dream just admitted the truth as fast he could. 

“I don’t know!” Dream stopped, nuzzling his head into his shoulder as he felt his face go red from pure embarrassment. “I-I’ll be completely honest, I don’t know! I just… I heard you singing, on the boat we were on. I didn’t follow you onto the boat, I was just already there.”

Wilbur frowned as he tilted his head, confusion clear as day on his face. “My singing?” Wilbur asked as Dream quickly nodded, desperate to get him to understand. “Your singing. Your singing is beautiful, Wilbur. It’s entrancing, honestly. It made me want to follow you and god it sounds weird of me to say that but it made me want to know more. I still do too. And if it helps, I think I know why. I think it’s because of what I saw when you were singing before on this stage.” Dream watched Wibut lowered Sally, his expression softening and blushing as he received the compliment. ‘Must not get a lot of them’ he briefly thought. “What,” Wilbur swallowed a lump in his throat before looking up to watch Dream. “What did you see?”

“I saw you on that stage and I saw you singing your heart out. In the process, your eyes started to glow. Your hair started to float as if it was in a different environment, like water maybe? Yeah, like that. It looked insane, almost as if magic was swelling in you. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a siren.”

A siren?

“A siren?” Wilbur asked, his eyes incredulous as he scoffed, placing his bow on the ground before plopping down into his prior seat. Wilbur wasn’t an idiot. Emotionally a wreck and lost, yes, but not an idiot. The tales Phil used to tell him of those mystical creatures with voices that could put the world in the palm of their hand were just that, tales. They weren’t around anymore after years of being hunted for their scales. Sirens weren’t common enough for this theory to make sense to him and last time he checked, Wilbur was completely human. He didn’t show any traits of him being anything but a plain, normal, unbearably boring human in a house full of hybrids. No scales, no fins, no sharp teeth or weird eyes, no odd tint of his skin. Boring, boring, boring. His non-hybrid status was something he theorized to be a root of the distance between them all, his brothers, his fathers, everyone. He wanted it so dearly to be that and not the fact his family just didn’t care. _He prayed._ The stuff Dream was telling him was simply ruining it all and adding insult to injury. 

As much as it did hurt, the idea had promise. A siren? Wilbur wouldn’t deny the idea held merit. It would explain his love to sing and his love for the sea. People had always found them both weird, sure, but it was a calling. Something that felt like an integral part of his person. Something he couldn’t deny. It made sense. In a way, Wilbur would love to be a siren. It sounds right. But… what if it doesn’t turn out to be true? What then? Just more disappointment that is the sad existence that is his life.

“Yeah. A siren. It isn’t impossible but I don’t have the answers you need to make sure.” Dream’s tone was apologetic, a hand hesitantly going to offer comfort to Wilbur’s shoulder but stopping at the last second. After a second of seeing Wilbur’s thought ridden and distraught face, his hand met Wilbur’s shoulder and gently rubbed it. “I… I think I know who can though.” Immediately, the brunette’s head whipped up and gently moved away from the hand. Right, still strangers. 

“You do?” His voice echoing all of the desperation and hope that was swelling in his heart. Dream could practically see it in front of him, leaping out for something to grab onto.

“I… I do. My parent, the one I mentioned before. They’re really knowledgeable in this kind of species and magic stuff. I know they could help you figure out what you are because whatever it is, it isn’t human.” 

Dream began to fidget with his sleeves before rolling down his hood, the sight behind it grabbing Wilbur’s attention. What laid behind the hood were a pair of pointed elf ears, one sporting a red jewel earring. Cute elf ears. They both twitched as Dream noticed the brunette staring at him. Briefly, Wilbur felt himself touch his own slightly pointed ears, blinking a few times in surprise.

“They helped me realize what I am, an Elf. More specifically a Wild elf. I even learned how to control my powers after spending a bit of time with them, watch.” Flexing his hands, Dream looked around before focusing on the tunnel entrance of the theatre. With a blink the figure beside Wilbur disappeared and reappeared at the entrance, standing up and perfectly fine. As quickly as he left, the elf returned back to his seat with another blink.

“I’m not the only one too,” Wilbur noted a shift in Dream’s tone, an important one. Before he seemed ecstatic to tell the musician all about his powers and such but now he seemed apprehensive. Worried. “The person I’m referencing, their name is Hayden. Actually, they aren’t my birth parent or anything like that. I only call them that because they took me into their home, their community.”

“They call it Nirvana,” Dream continued. Wilbur remained silent all throughout this, absorbing the information as it came. “It’s a place where people like you and me, runaways, hybrids who need guidance, lost people who need a home can find it.” Wilbur nodded as he listened, his eyes staring at the carvings along the walls once more. ‘Nirvana, huh?’ He bit his lip as he thought about his options. Dream was here presenting him a possibility of finding a place where he could be welcomed, at least for a little while. He could recover his bearings before moving on to who knows where. Maybe, just maybe Wilbur was meant to face this place. Was this what Eislons had planned for him?

“It sounds weird but it isn’t. It’s a nice community, my friends, and essentially what is my family is there. I think, if you want to that is, you can find some answers there. And I doubt you will, Will, but you could even take a rest there before you leave. There are some really amazing people there though.” Dream smiled behind his mask as his mind went to thoughts of his friends; specifically a mage hybrid and a blaze hybrid.

“If I decide to go with you. How long would it take?” The brunette questioned as he messed with his sweater hem, eyes trained on the walls as they briefly flashed gold before returning to normal. “A day if we go fast and use a couple of ender pearls I have stowed away in my materials.” The mention of the small green orbs caused Wilbur to make a face; the memory of him trying to pearl away from Techno in a fight before eating the bark of a tree as he slammed into it fresh in his mind. Despite this, the promise that Dream’s offer held was oh so tempting. Even if he didn’t turn out to be a siren, maybe this place could help him figure out some more of his identity. At least help him figure out why his hair was floating and why his eyes were glowing. It was exciting to think about and as his excitement grew, so did his resolve.

“I’ll go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And now Dream and Wilbur are on the move, get bent the other 3/4 of SBI. Leave any comments, questions, kudos, or anything below if you'd like!


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilby and Dweamy find a cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow guys! So Many Kudos, Bookmarks, and comments! Thank you guys all so much! I appreciate everyone reading this small fanfic of mine!

One thing was for sure, Wilbur definitely didn’t enjoy enderpearl travel. 

It was the morning after the shared encounter between Dream and Wilbur. Their late-night discussion left many questions unanswered while bringing up several new ones. Ones that they collectively hoped would be solved once they reached wherever the former would be taking the two. The morning dew was ripe on the plants that inhabited the empty space. Luckily for the two of them, the rain from last night had ceased while they were in their sleep. Waking up to a shiny morning definitely intensified Wilbur’s good mood; what a disaster waking up to grey storm clouds would have been for the brunette. 

With their campfire squashed out and belongings collected, the pair exited the tunnel of the amphitheater but not before Wilbur said goodbye. Realistically, he knew he could return whenever he wanted to. Freedom was something he had a surplus amount of and didn’t foresee losing for quite a while. Yet, it would feel rude not to say any parting words, words that he could quite form. Instead, a hand found its way onto the arch of the tunnel as its owner rested his forehead against it, eyes closed with a faint smile. ‘I’ll be back someday,’ he told the ghost of what was once a life-filled performance space. In return, Wilbur felt a surge of warmth approach him, wind blowing all around him, encircling him before disappearing. That same smile on his face grew as he opened his eyes. It felt endearing, supporting. It felt like the hug of someone from the past-no, not just one hug, several different hugs all at once. Call him a fool, but it felt like possible past ancestors wishing him good luck and giving him approval. It was a silly idea to play along with the whole siren thing but why not indulge himself every once in a while? Oh, how he needed that.

“You ready to go?” Called out Dream who was standing at the end of the tunnel, hands cupped together to make more noise. One of those hands extended itself, extending itself to Wilbur as if to say ‘Join me. Destiny awaits’ or something cheesy like that. A small chuckle was released as he went to catch up with the man at the end of the tunnel. 

“Here I am my knight in shining green armor.” 

Dream let out a small sound of amusement as he retracted his hand and fished through one of the compartments in his bag.“That’s going to stick around?” 

“Oh definitely, it’s too good to pass up. Picture it,” Wilbur paused to spread his hands apart. “Dream the knight. Accompanied by yours truly.”

“Does that mean you get to be the princess I rescue in the end and marry?” It was a tease, they both knew this. That didn’t stop Wilbur from sputtering out words, small curses flying from his lips with no real malice to them. 

“Tough shit but I don’t think that will happen. What’s that phrase, “there are other fish in the sea?” Right?” 

“You do realize you called yourself a fish, right?” Dream mimicked back as he readjusted his hood onto his head, his ears giving a twitch before being hidden by the green cloak. The two of them strolled out of the area of the theatre and into another forest clearing. Images of the elf briefly disappeared before reappearing scattered across the field before eventually returning back to Wilbur’s side. “Alright. Now that I know where we are and where we are going we can start pearl hopping.” Dream began to fasten all of the bags that were on his body as Wilbur titled his head in confusion. 

“Pearl hopping? What in the bloody hell is that?” Wilbur asked as he couldn’t help but subconsciously do the same, making sure everything on his person was strapped on him and was done so securely. He had a gut feeling that he knew what Dream was already talking about but it didn’t stop him from asking. “It’s kind of simple but at the same time, it isn’t. I also wouldn’t expect you to know since, well, I made this strategy up myself.”

Moving a bit away from Wilbur and towards the center of the field, a gloved hand fished out a green orb that fit into the palm of Dream’s hand. “This is an enderpearl, but you already knew that I’m guessing. I call what I do pearl hopping because as soon as the pearl I throw hits, I go and I teleport my maximum distance before throwing another pearl. I can’t go using my power for long distances for so long, I’d just wear myself out.” Swallowing the words fading on the tip of his tongue, Wilbur accepted the information as it was delivered to him. That certainly was… interesting. Risky, for sure, but definitely interesting. Was he planning to hold onto him during this process? Has he done this before? Who knows what could go wrong with this. His own thoughts were beginning to muddle his brain. Bringing him out of his thoughts was an extended hand, the same from before devoid of a pearl.  
  
“I can tell you’re nervous, you aren’t hiding very well if you were trying to.” Dream shuffled where he stood, rocking back and forth on his heels ever so slightly. His hand remained extended, persistent in its offer. “ I promise you won’t get hurt. All I need you to do is put a little faith in me. Otherwise, this trip is about to become so much longer. Wouldn’t do me much good for my conscience either, haha.” His voice acted as a beacon of calm despite the rushed ending and beginnings of certain words. Dream was here, in front of him, patiently understanding his hesitation and worries all while trying to get him to feel better. Fuck off emotions, this isn’t a time for sentimentality. There is a time and place for that, Wilbur reminded himself. Inching ever so slightly, Wilbur reached out his own hand to grab onto Dream’s. His hold on the other was tight; tight in a way where it showed just how one was too afraid to let go and risk the consequences. But at the same time, he felt Dream’s grip tighten back. Not as an act of malice, but one of reassurance. 

“You better not fuck this up, “Wilbur grumbled out, rolling his eyes slightly as he turned his face. He’ll be damned if he gets teased for something as silly as a faint blush, judging by the way he felt his face flare-up. The hand that was holding onto his carefully and quickly snaked around the slightly taller teen. Will tensed at the sudden movement, his eyes carefully looking at the other to make sure nothing suspicious was happening. Dream’s arm was now wrapped around Wilbur’s torso, bringing him in closer as he juggled the enderpearl in his free hand. 

“Just making sure you don’t fall off Will. That’s all. Now, once I throw this it will be a couple of seconds before we hit the ground and continue on. If you ever need to pause because you feel sick or something, just whack my head, okay? Here we go!” With one quick motion, Dream threw the enderpearl in his left-hand meters away from the both of them. 

“Wait hold on, did you say feel si-!”

Wilbur never got the chance to finish. Just before he could, the dark jade pearl hit the group a ways away from where they previously were. Before he could even continue, they were instantly teleported yards away from their previous location. While they were similar, the two sensations felt quite different. One felt like a force yanking you while the other felt like a simple jump. It quite literally took the breath out of Wilbur who was all the while still uncomfortably unfamiliar with the feeling of enderpearling before teleporting. He didn’t even enjoy the use of enderpearls normally, this only served to fuel his hatred even more. 

Dream on the other hand seemed to be having the time of his life. The air was filled with his howls of laughter as the pair teleported through forests full of dark oak trees and fields of tall or short grass. It seemed like second nature to him, something he found as easy as breathing. Perhaps this is what it felt like as others to observe him as his music. Something you couldn’t quite get yourself but someone else totally could. The process seemed easy enough for the elf, the motions being automatic with the throwing of a pearl before the retrieval of another. 

Soon enough the pairing reached an area where several mediocre hills and low valleys began to turn into towering mountains paired with spruce trees surrounding and combing through the entire area. One last pearl hit the ground, effectively summoning the two in its steed. Dream let go of Wilbur only to have to catch him from falling seconds later. The latter let out a huff of air as a hand went to cool down the nauseous pain that was dwelling in his head. Okay, so no more enderpearl traveling for Will. Got it. Lesson learned.

“W-where,” Wilbur paused to give himself a second to breathe and work out any nauseous feelings arising. “Where are we exactly?” A few short coughs were released before he could manage to stand up completely fine on his own.

“Close. If you want specifics, we are towards the northern borders of Eislons. Home isn’t too far, just a small walk. Besides, I think it’ll be best for you if we stop pearlhopping for today. You look like you could use the rest, I’m sorry again.”

Wilbur spared him a look, one that screamed ‘You’ll pay for this later’ all over it. “Yeah, no shit. That was one of the worst things I’ve ever done. How, how do you do it so easily?” They moved in time with each other’s steps, both starting on their left foot as the brunette followed the dirty blonde. “Well,” Dream began as if he didn’t already know the answer. “I’d say it is a combination of practice and it’s just an elf thing. My elf type is one that can handle the rapid movements and face pace that I set for myself.”

“So you’re just built different?” “I guess I am.”

The two stopped dead in their tracks once they reached the front of a cave entrance. They were now near the coast of the biome, the beach beneath them saying that much. There were several different kinds of foliage, vines and bushes draped over the entrance, disguising its very existence. All along the archway were scattered groups of black roses, essentially covering the surrounding area. While he didn’t voice it, Wilbur thought they were beautiful. Nothing like the flowers they had back at home- his old home, he meant. They were nothing like the flowers he used to see at his old home.

“This? This is Nirvana?” Wilbur asked as he pushed some hair out of his face. “There’s got to be more to it right?”

“Oh, you’ll find out. Believe me, you’ll find out.” 

Stepping forward, Dream pulled back the vines of leaves covering the entrance, letting Wilbur take a few steps inside before letting himself in and closing it up after. Shooing him onward, Dream watched as Will continued to walk forward, walking through a tunnel with torches and glowing stones illuminating the path for him. Just up ahead, he swore he could hear sounds of laughter and screams. ‘Those must be the others he spoke of’ Wilbur reasoned, eyes trained ahead as he prepared for the worst.

Instead, Wilbur was greeted with what could only be described as paradise. What laid behind the cave entrance was Nirvana; a spacious community built inside of a mountain where everyone could roam free. Will and Dream walked forward and stood at the entrance of it all, the latter watching the former take it all in amusement. The whole space was cylindrical, almost perfectly so would it not be for the obvious and rough natural ridges and textures present on the walls. In the center of it all was a large dip in the ground foundation that was filled with water, acting as a deep sort of pool. Towards the bottom of the pool, there seemed to lights illuminating the depths, most likely the same crystals from before in the pathway. All around the pool was a pathway, letting people walk around it without having to go in. The roundabout pathway led to different entrances and exits with their own labels: Healing room, farm, kitchen, bathhouse, nap central, etc. Nearby there were several different staircases made of varying materials, some made of what looked like concrete, others with stone bricks. Most didn’t have railings but the ones that did connect themselves to a second floor, more like a glorified balcony, where the center of it was hollowed out so that you could see ongoings of what was happening below. More entrances were revealed but ultimately showed different side-by-side rooms with curtains either drawn closed or left open. ‘Rooming quarters’ Wilbur reasoned as he continued to walk around, subtly spinning around to look at everything. He was brought out of his thoughts by more laughter and screaming as a few people ran by the pair. 

A small ram hybrid was running from what seemed to be an enderman hybrid whose height rivaled Wilbur’s own. They ran down and up several staircases, both screaming, the walls echoing the sound. A small figure followed after them, fluttering and emanating a bright glow as they flit around. Eventually, the smaller ram hybrid jumped into the pool, normal clothes and all, before returning to the water’s surface, laughing in insatiable victory. The enderman hybrid nearly scoffed before chuckling to himself. It took him a second before he noticed the two just standing there. 

“Welcome back!” He called out from where he was standing, taking a few steps back to stay clear of the water the ram-hybrid was bringing with him onto the path. “Dreeamm!!! You’re back!” The younger screamed out, not minding his volume at all whatsoever. A few more ‘Welcome backs!’ followed after from different voices supplying them. The two went about their business, walking back up the stairs as they teased one another about pushing the other off. The same smaller figure from before, a fairy?, circled back around and floating for a second in front of Dream and Wilbur before growing to the size of a regular person. 

“Dream! You’re back!” She smiled, iridescent wings flutterings a bit as her eyes looked over Wilbur. “Oh, Who’s this? A new friend of yours?” Pink strands of hair framed her face as blue eyes stared at Will. Said person began to look away awkwardly, appreciating the friendly presence she offered but still unsure. This was still all so new. He wasn’t even over the structure of this place. He wasn’t ready to meet so many people, oh god what did he get himself into?

“Nice to see you too Niki. This here is Wilbur, Wilbur Soot. Wilbur, this is Niki, our resident Pixie. I brought him here to meet Hayden so that he could help Will figure out just who he is. I figured since he helped with me and everything…”

Niki gasped, her hands clasping together in excitement. “Oh that’s such a good idea! I’m sure Hayden would love to help. Lucky for you guys, I hear he’s coming back tonight. I least that’s what I heard. You can never tell if Tubbo has accurate information or not.” Her wing’s movement came to a pause as she turned towards Will, offered a genuine smile and a pat on the shoulder. “It was nice meeting you Will, I hope we get to see more of you around here. We could use a new guy. Well then, I’ll see you both at dinner!” And with that, she reverted back to her smaller state before flying off, a glowing trail being left behind her. 

A few seconds passed before Wilbur spoke up, trying to find the words to sum up his thoughts and feelings. “Is,” he began. “Is everyone here a hybrid?”

“No, actually. Not all of us are hybrids, some of us are the full thing, Like Niki. The rest of us are all just half and half. Not always human and whatever else, but always split.” As they walked, Dream began to lead Wilbur up the stairs and to his personal room. His space was decorated with different green blankets and pillows on top of a bed, a few unlit candles were placed on a desk while a basket of clothes laid in one corner beside a hammock. Setting his weapons and bags off his person and on the desk, Dream continued to talk

“You see, everyone here can be who they want to be. They don’t have to be shackled down by restraints people put on them. Like, take for example, our names.”

“Your names?” Wilbur asked. He found himself observing the rest of his room and despite being built into the interior mountain, how smooth the floors and walls of the room felt. It was just, amazing. Nothing felt quite real and a part of him didn’t want this feeling to end just yet. It’s like a bit of a dream in all honesty.”

“Yeah. Our names. Like me for instance, I wasn’t named Dream. I just happened to like the name and it wasn’t being taken so here we are. Whoever I was before, they don’t matter anymore. Of course, you don’t have to change your name or anything if you do stay here. Niki’s real name is Niki so it’s perfectly fine.” After a few seconds of silence, Dream turned around to look at Wilbur who was standing at the entrance of the room, one hand clutching onto the curtains that acted as a door. He was staring at others walking along the path, exiting rooms, or simply sitting in their own personal space, just minding their business and existing. 

“So, what do you think Will?”

“...In all honesty, This sounds awful cultish.”

“We aren’t a cult! I- Will Jesus christ,” Dream couldn’t even defend himself, the laughter arising in him cutting off any attempts. “I’m just saying man,” Will chuckled “I’m just saying suddenly if I become rainmelon and forget everything about myself and my past I’m calling bullshit.” The two of them let their giggles die out as they overlooked everything. 

“Tell you what, you can learn more about everyone at dinner. Then we’ll see if you still think it’s a cult.”

“Alright Cult boy.”

“Oh come on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Welcome to Nirvana Y'all. Leave any comments, questions, kudos, or anything below if you'd like! I love reading them all. 
> 
> Also here some images I kind of based my description of Nirvana on:  
> https://www.crushpixel.com/big-static7/preview4/karst-cave-entrance-195453.jpg  
> https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/AbjBEw0WHHwJ7xnzqRQeqFUBGWWD5q84xCUMHO9BqaM5HcfjU15DNS1uUjfefTZ493bHLUqOuSiEab-Siv2f  
> https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F28%2F2018%2F08%2Fbeckham-cave-house-arkansas-featresl-CAVEHOUSE0818.jpg  
> https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F28%2F2018%2F08%2Fbeckham-cave-house-arkansas-room-CAVEHOUSE0818.jpg


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's meet the family :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 2 am and I am d Y I NG. But, I got the chapter out! This one's a bit longer but I hope you enjoy it! I do :)

To be perfectly honest, Wilbur still didn't know what he was doing here.

He had spotted a few people on his way to Dream’s room where he was currently residing. That pixie, Niki was it?. She had been incredibly polite to him and seemed nice enough. He had read about pixies in books stowed away in Phil’s private library. Curiosity had been a killer and when left alone at the house for hours, that library was a place he could find temporary solace in. Seeing her up close had been nothing like what the books depicted that was for sure. And then there were the other two hybrids that while he didn’t officially meet, he still saw: a ram-hybrid and enderman hybrid. From the way they joked, it was clear as day that the two had history forged with one another. The smaller of the two was shorter, it was hard to compete with an enderman’s height, but was still short in a way that reminded Wilbur of his younger brother. Perhaps they would have been friends if given the opportunity.

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Wilbur threw himself back into what he was doing. The brunette currently sat on top of Dream’s bed supported by plush cushions and blankets resting there. His guitar laid in his arms as his hands worked on tuning the instrument, winding up strings, careful not to make them snap. It’s not as if he could suddenly replace a string out of nowhere. One wrong turn and he’d be a goner. The elf in question had disappeared about an hour ago, mentioning something about checking up on everyone and putting away those crystals from before. 

It had already been a few hours since they both arrived at Nirvana and still, Wilbur couldn’t shake something from the back of his mind. 

There was an air here, a feeling. Something felt a bit  _ wrong.  _ It was almost too perfect. The way that everyone seemingly got along, truly cared about one another, and just had fun. Wilbur can’t remember the last time where he was just allowed to abandon his worries for a day and just exist. Doing as he pleased was hard when you had to think about who you were affecting. Music was hard to do when you ran the risk of having a noise complaint drop in when you were developing a new chord progression or verse. He wasn’t free to sing his heart out to words he’d drone over for hours. Song lyrics would fall upon deaf ears all the while the noise was heard just fine. Was that all he ever was to them? White noise? Something to hear in the background without truly paying attention to it. Wilbur would never know and quite frankly didn’t care to find out. Maybe his worries in this place were just a projection of some sort, something he felt justified in saying but just wasn’t true.

Be that as it may, this place was going to take some getting used to wasn’t it? 

The door, it was a curtain so call it a curtain damn it, was pushed open to reveal Dream standing there. He wasn’t wearing any of the gear he was before, all bags and weapons were now gone from his being. Now the male was sporting some more casual clothes, the ones from before resting under his arm. The mask still remained though. Wilbur’s head snapped up when seeing Dream come into his plain of view. Amber eyes darting to see if anyone else was with him. He offered a meek smile before going back to tuning his guitar, fingers pulling at strings that made no noise. 

Will immediately went still, trying the string again to only hear nothing. The shuffling sounds from outside had gone silent. A sense of dread was slowly filling him, wariness growing inside. What was going on with him? Where was his hearing? Why was it gone?  _ Where did it go Where did it go Where did it go Where did it go.  _

Wilbur blinked a few times to look at the new arrival in the room. Dream’s lips were moving, but he couldn’t figure out what he was saying. Damn it, if he could just-.

_ ‘Pop’ _

_ With a click,  _ all of the sounds of the world crushed back into him with a cacophony of different noises and sounds. While he was thankful, that didn’t erase the unease dwelling in his mind. This place, this cave, it put him on edge enough as it was. He just hoped this wasn’t going to become a common occurrence.

“Nice to see you haven’t run away yet.” There was a slight pause, a chance for tension to rise but he was quick to the punch. “Oh wait that sounded creepy, fuck, no I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant to say was that I’m happy you decided to stick around and not just up and leave while I stepped out.” Dre walked in and put his clothes into a basket lying in the corner before accompanying Will on the bed. The recovery managed to even bring out a few half-hearted chuckles from the musician.

“I don’t think I could try leaving without being seen by someone if I wanted to. It’d be a stealth mission I wouldn’t do well at completing with what I would be carrying.” Will made reference to the guitar by gently moving it before looking back at the instrument, biting his lip in concentration. Dream listened and watched as he worked, staring at the way brown locks of hair framed his face. It took him a few seconds but he eventually realized Will’s hair was loose once again. It was a sight that he found himself liking, but he wouldn’t ever admit it if asked. Regardless of that, he couldn’t help but say something.

“It looks nice like that,” Dream began. Moving back to lean on his elbows, he continued as he smiled. “Your hair I mean. You always have it pinned back but I think it looks nice like that. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s told you that, right?”

The comment immediately took Wilbur out of whatever he was doing before, a blush spreading across his face like a wildfire. His attempts to hide it were for not as the blonde could see it as clear as day. “No, actually. You are the first to really complement it like that. I’ve always grown out my hair for as long as I can remember. Well, no actually, Phil made me cut it one thing because Tommy would keep yanking on it as a baby. One too many complaints and I decided I would be the one to manage my own hair. I still think that was majorly unfair though.” 

A fond smile made its way onto Will’s face as he reminisced over his past memories, remembering all the times he and Techno would measure their hair growth besides one another. Dream raised an eyebrow as he listened to the other talk, confused at the names that he was mentioning so suddenly.

“Phil and Tommy? Who are they?”

_ Oh.  _

Wilbur’s mouth turned paper dry as he blinked a couple of times in succession. It finally occurred to Will that he never did mention any words of his family to Dream in the time they had spent together. He was doing such a good job at avoiding thoughts of his family, avoiding the underlying guilt that laid in his heart. Why did he have to mention them like the idiot he was? Why couldn’t he have been more careful?

“Well, uhm. Phil and Tommy are my, were my, they… uh.” Talking proved to be a struggle as he set the wooden instrument off of his lap and into its black case. It was quiet and despite how comfortable quiet could be, quiet was becoming uncomfortable for Will. “They, Phil was, is, Phil was the one who adopted me. Yeah, Tommy is the name of my brother, my younger one. My older brother is someone completely different, Techno. They, shit uh, I don’t know if they still count or don’t, I-” Breathing was starting to become a bit harder now. It hurt, why did it hurt?

Dream immediately pushed himself to sit up as soon as he saw the look of panic overtaking Wilbur. He waited for him to set down the instrument before reaching to hold Will’s hands in his own. Green looked into anxious amber and could sense a storm building up behind his eyes. Faintly outside the room, he could even hear the movement of water from the pool lapping against the pathway.  _ This wasn’t good. _

“Hey, hey, hey. Will, you’re okay Will.” He pulled out the softest and most reassuring tone he could, mimicking the way he’d seen others calm down the younger members of the group. His own hands gripped the hands in between his just a bit tighter, the motion meant to be grounding and to show ‘ _ I’m here. I’m here for you _ .’ Wilbur’s chest started to fall back into a more relaxed pattern, the air in his lungs still stinging. “I’m sorry I asked about something you hadn’t felt comfortable enough to share. That was my mistake. You don’t have to answer anything you’re uncomfortable with, alright? I don’t want to hurt you.”

Wilbur nodded quickly, blinking a few times as he sniffled. “I know. I don’t know how I know, but I do. I’m sorry for getting like this. I-I thought this was the right decision but now I’m not so sure. I just need to think, right. What I think I need right now is some fresh air.” 

Understanding, Dream stood up with Wilbur’s hands still in his own. They both stood in the room, just the two of them. Just as he was about to let go of his hand, Dream felt a hand reach for his own yet again, a familiar warmth returning. Just as quickly as the hand grab went it was soon followed by a hug. The masked male staggered back a few steps, clearly unsuspecting of it coming. Nevertheless, he carefully returned the hug, not wanting to mistakenly overstep boundaries. 

“Thank you Dream.” It was simple but in its simplicity Dream understood the meaning held behind it. This, this was nice. Both could agree. They stood like that for a few minutes more before eventually one of them pulled away from the other. All good things must come to an end after all.

“No problem. We should start heading down anyway, Dinner should be ready soon. Then you can meet everyone and see how we are definitely not a cult.” That last bit drew out a smile from Will. It wasn’t an ear-reaching smile but Dream was certain he could get one out of him before the night was up. Together, the two of them walked down the nearest flight of stairs and past the pool of water whose surface remained rippling.  _ Huh, that’s weird.  _ Regardless of that, the two continued on with Will following Dream through one of many entrances that eventually led them to a dining room area of sorts. 

When compared to what Wilbur had seen in the rest of the cave, this dining room could be considered very modern. There were beautiful crystal-like chandeliers hanging overhead with strings of lights and lanterns illuminating the rest of the space. There was actual carpet in this room which seemed to be devoid in any other space of the cave. Walls were decorated with different art pieces, paintings of all different kinds. In the center of it all was a table; a circular grand wooden one that was made to fit a large group of people at meals. There were a few people already seated there, talking with one another or simply waiting in silence. Soon enough, more of them entered out of a door with trays of food and dining supplies. Bowls, plates, and utensils were placed down in accordance to the seats. It looked so… domestic. People smiling beside one another, bumping shoulders as they laughed. A part of Wilbur felt like an intruder, onlooking into something that he had never been a part of. Something he probably wasn’t welcome. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be a part of it either. 

Wilbur ended up trailing after Dream, shuffling and moving like a duckling following its mama, steps uncertain of their own accord but confident in their leader’s. His eyes found the ground, eventually landing on his boots that had been slowly collecting a mess of mud on them. It didn’t track but it sure did feel embarrassing. An arm wrapped around his own as a slight tugging got his attention. Oh, it was Niki. She smiled at Will, her lips moving but no sound came out.  _ Oh no. _

Rapidly blinking, Will shook his head as sounds began to register once again in his ears. The sounds of people talking again, the clanks of metal utensils clicking, and a jukebox somewhere playing some cheesily happy tune. Luckily for him, it was cut short this time. But who was to say for when or how long this would last.  _ What if it was permanent? _

“-e have to introduce you to everyone! Come one!” A few steps more and Wilbur was seated in between herself and the smaller ram boy. Said hybrid was practically bouncing in his scene, eyes looking Wilbur over and over again. The yellow goat eyes staring at him held questions and comments that looked to be held back by the elders around him.  _ He was being stared at. They’d find him weird too, wouldn’t they? Why wouldn’t they. He’s  _ **_not normal_ ** _. _

His own eyes looked around for Dream, finding him right across from him. The elf was tucked in between someone wearing a pair of white and black glasses and another wearing a white headband. Despite him being just a reach away, the distance within the circumstance began to feel insufferable.

“Everyone! We have a guest tonight!” 

Niki’s wings fluttered back and forth, their pace rapid and thrumming with excitement. Her voice coming through cusped hands caught everyone’s attention almost immediately. Several different heads turned to look at him, stare at him. Their gaze on Wilbur felt hot. It crawled under his skin and left him nervously looking around with a timid smile. He gave it his all, he really did. At least give him that.

Dream spoke up next, sparing Will a glance, one that he gladly caught despite the mask shielding most of his face. “Everyone, this is Wilbur. I met him while I was out and I wanted him to come meet you guys. Why don’t you guys introduce yourselves?” His elbows rested on the table as he rested his head on the palms of his hands. 

“Oh-oh! I’ll go first!” The ram-hybrid practically vibrated in his seat as he bounced up and down, eager to share. Admittedly, the sudden actions got a jump out of quite a few of them, Will included. ”Alright, alright. My name is Tubbo! I don’t know if you could tell but I am a ram hybrid so I’m practically really fast and strong! Even if I’m really tiny. And this, this is-”

“I can introduce myself Tubbo, for prime’s sake.” The enderman-hybrid from before made a small noise, something akin to a growl before facing Will with a polite and friendly smile.” Hi there Wilbur, My name’s Ranboo. You can probably tell but I’m an enderman hybrid. What’s the other half of me? I have no clue whatsoever. B-but it’s nice to meet you!”

“Hello there Wilbur.” A deep voice caught Will’s attention, dragging it to the end of the table where a person who had curly thick brown hair and was wearing black sunglasses. “My name’s Eret, a pleasure to meet you.”

“Eret’s a wither-hybrid! But you can’t tell because of their glasses!” Tubbo quickly got shushed by the people sitting around him as Eret paid the spoil no mind. “Tubbo’s right, I am a wither-hybrid. I wear my glasses so as to not freak people out.”

“Ah,” Wilbur nodded. He never met another nether hybrid before. Well, except for Techno. But that was a given. With a small shake of his head, Will turned his attention to the two beside Dream. “And you two?”

The two immediately looked at Will, their levels of energy being polar opposites from one another. The one with the goggles exudes calmness, a pair of heterochromatic brown and blue eyes peeking from behind them. He looked over Will, his gaze judging and setting his nerves on fire. The other carried energy in his movements, his eyes bright orange and burning into Will’s soul.” His presence was bright, brighter than most. He couldn’t quite place it on why though.

“I’m Sapnap!” smiled the one with the headband.

“And I’m George,” replied the other with the glasses. 

“I’m a blaze hybrid! I can do wicked ass things with fire! Watch!” A few of them immediately cried out ‘No!’ as Sapnap tried to light up a few candles on the wall, effectively sitting him down before anything else could happen.

“Anyways, I’m a sorcerer. I specialize in sensory magic. Like the kind you use to see, hear, smell, etc.” A small comment surfaced about how ironic it was considering his colorblindness and just as quickly, Tubbo cried out about his soup tasting like sand. “Gogy!” The younger called out, earning a snicker from George. A flick of the wrist and wisps of teal magic brought Tubbo’s regular taste back. 

These people they... They were like him. Not exactly, not really. But he had a feeling that he was similar. Not in the genetics way, no way was he anything like any of the people he just saw. That’s guaranteed. But my god did he feel like he could really get along with these people. They seemed nice enough and they were extremely welcoming. It was... It was nice here.

“So are you like us?” Asked Tubbo out of the blue, getting everyone’s attention.    
  


“Like you how?” Asked Will, swallowing down his food and replacing it with confusion.

“Like a, like a, what’s the word for it. Something uh, a hybrid? Yeah, a hybrid!” 

Wilbur set his fork down. Was he? He didn’t even know for himself. He didn’t want to lie to these nice people who just accepted him. He opened his mouth to answer a couple of times before ending up with nothing. 

Eventually, he landed on an “ I’m not sure. I’m trying to find out. Maybe I am?”

The crowd around the table took in the information just as Niki spoke up. “Well Will, we are happy to have you here, for as long as you’ll be here that is. You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need. We take care of our own here.” Her expression radiated warmth and kindness, one that made Wilbur stop in his thoughts. Was… _ was this real? _

“Yeah! You look cool too! You have an explorer vibe, did you know that? Do you mind telling us where you’re from? What are you into?” Once again, Tubbo began to ask questions with Ranboo at his side laughing at the groans and reactions from the older teens. Wilbur himself began to laugh at the reaction. He found it really endearing actually, the way Tubbo was brimming with naivety and brightness. It was incredibly reminiscent of someone he knew, someone who he couldn’t bear to think about.

“I don’t mind answering guys. I’m from a place called Oslans. A town, yes, but it had oh such a beautiful beach. You guys wouldn’t believe it. And I do happen to dabble a bit in music…”

And with that, the night commenced.

Later on, the entire group found themselves sitting outside on a nearby beach, sitting all-around a blazing campfire courtesy of Sapnap himself. Everyone sat on log benches, some huddled underneath blankets as they listened to waves crashing on the nearby rocks. At the head of the fire pit stood Eret, standing there in all their glory. They had mentioned something about a storytime of sorts? Will wasn’t too enthralled by the offer to join. His would-be desire for storytelling and more interaction dying out as the night carried on. Wilbur’s seat was found between Ranboo and Dream while his attention found itself wandering to the ocean just meters away.

Eret chuckled as they took their place at the head of the bonfire, eyes glowing bright white behind sunglasses. “Tonight lady and gentlemen, I will tell you the tale of the two cursed knights.” A few ‘oooh's were relayed from around the campfire, excitement growing at the prospect of a new story.

“It goes as told,” Eret began as they sat down onto a log, hands in front of them as they retold the tale. “  _ Long ago within a kingdom whose reign lasted as long as the burning sun laid two knights. One stationed to protect the royal family while the other to protect the castle. Routine determined that they could not see one another for their places kept them bound by honor. But fate, however, waits for no man. The two met and all at once, everything clicked. From that moment on they became inseparable. Soulmates, they called them. Every second spent gone was another of agony.” _

_ “Their love grew with time and eventually, they sought to leave their lives behind. Leave their posts to enjoy one another as companions do. But of course, fate wasn’t always so kind.”  _

_ “Tragedy struck as a neighboring kingdom called Sital came to tear down the long-lasting reign of the kingdom. ‘We must stay back! They need our help’ one cried, their attachment to their kingdom still there. ‘We’ll die if we stay! Why can’t… why can’t we just leave? They don’t need us!’ asked the other, heart burning in desperation as the walls around them came burning down. A standstill formed, neither of the two moving. They wanted to leave, interests conflicting, but their love remaining so strong that the thought of leaving the other alluded them. Eventually, they were found by enemy soldiers.”  _ A few gasps came from around the fire, the twist taking them by surprise. Wasn’t this supposed to be a happy story?

_ “Slain down on the floor with their world around them burning, the two knights found themselves reunited once again. Their embrace brought tears, their sadness unbearably. ‘Our journey has only just begun’ cried out one, ‘It isn’t fair!’ The other simply smiled, nodding along. ‘Yes, our lives may be cut short now but the love we share, it is too pure. We will find one another again, my love. In another life, find me and I’ll find you.’ Their last moments were spent embraced, the fire around them raging on as the fire in their souls died out. Legend has it the two knights would always find each other. Memories of past lives long forgotten but the love shared and created, everlasting.” _

A few claps rang out as Eret stood up, dramatically taking a bow as Tubbo and Ranboo demanded another story for Eret to tell. Their energy stood unrivaled as others began to demand another as well chanting ‘another! another!’ The wither-hybrid chuckled before sitting back down. “Alright, alright. Have you guys ever heard the tale of the three piglins?”

At that point, Wilbur had already mentally checked out. Long ago did he stop paying attention as he stood up about halfway through, robbing a blanket off Dream’s shoulders before going to sit near the backshore of the beach. His hands found their way into the golden sand wet below him, gripping it as he stared at the unresting waves. 

He was trying to find it again, the song. If he focused hard enough, he could hear it. It was faint, but it was there. His eyes shut closed as he tried to make out the song as best as he could even going as far as to faintly replicate it to no avail. Sounds began to flicker in and out as his hearing faded in and out, a dull pain forming. Once again the connection to the song snapped and his frustration rose. Fingers grabbed at the sand before throwing it towards the water and watching it drift away. It didn’t make him feel better by any means. 

A sigh rattled through him as he stood up, ready to go back to the crowd only to turn and find Dream and someone else-someone entirely new- standing just a few feet away from him. This person stood taller than both him and Dream, even over Ranboo. They had long straight yet slightly curled forest green hair, hair that reached just a bit past his shoulders tied up into a ponytail. His skin was tan but not much of it was revealed as he wore dark fitted clothing that stuck to him. The most captivating part about him, however, was his eyes. His eyes were a bright lilac purple and stared right through and past you, piercing into you and never letting go. It reminded him of another familiar shade of purple but he couldn’t figure out just what it was. All the while, his expression remained calm and neutral with a sense of maturity about them. Dream appeared to be whispering into their ear as they both watched Wilbur. 

Will was quick to stand on his feet, the blanket laying forgotten on the sand at the moment. Who were they? What did they want? Why were they away from the group? Dream was quick to notice Wilbur’s sudden movement and went jogging over to him. 

  
“Will, come on! This is the person I want you to meet!” Their hands connected together in seconds as before he knew it, Will was standing in front of the mysterious figure from before. Looking up into his eyes, Wilbur felt a sense of calm wash over him. Any apprehensiveness created from before melted away and was replaced by curiosity. Apparently, the look on his face gave him away enough to the point where they started to find it amusing.

Turning his head, the brunette quickly went to mumble out an apology, clearly still anxious in his own right. A gentle hand settled on Wilbur’s shoulder bringing him out of his worries. 

“Don’t worry about that my child, it’s quite alright. I’m glad you’ve answered the call to my home. As its owner, I humbly welcome you to Nirvana. My name is Hayden.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hi there Hayden :) Leave any comments, questions, kudos, or anything below if you'd like! I love reading them all whether they are brief or large paragraphs going into detail!
> 
> Also I had to revive my deadass tumblr, rename it, and post this to show you my sketch for Hayden: https://henlothurrr.tumblr.com/post/644074115140059136/a-hayden-doodle-for-my-fic-home-is-where-the-heart


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, we are meeting in-laws. Is that what we are doing? Oh, no? Oh well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guyssss. Guess who updated :] To be completely honest, I feel like my writing is going to shambles which is unfortunate because my favorite parts of the story have yet to happen. But I push on for y'all.

“So… that was your dad.”

Long abandoned was the sandy shore that the three had met upon. It was instead traded for the interior of the kitchen space but only two of them stood together. The time came when everyone had retreated back to their rooms as sleep awaited their rival into their domain. Quick goodnights were spared and with that, the lights of Nirvana dimmed down for the evening, leaving a slightly haunted and creepy feeling to the cave. 

Wilbur sat perched on a stool, his hands clasped firmly around a burnt sienna-colored mug. Inside his reflection stared bullets directed back at himself, only to be distorted by small ripples in the water. At the blink of an eye, the ripples ceased in their motion, quick surprise overlapping his face. Eyebrows furrowed in, in what? Confusion? That’s what it felt like. 

Dream rested against a counter of smooth stone, the material not cushioning him at all but nevertheless, he stayed. His hands tapped the tabletop to some random rhythm he found. The pattern occasionally faltered in some areas, a beat too early or too late echoing every once in a while before returning to normal. 

“You could say that. I don’t call him Dad or anything like that. You might catch Tubbo or one of the others slip up for something like that. If I did, it would have had to be a couple of years ago when he found me.”

The elf paused, blinking a few times as a hand found its way to his chin. “Now that I think about it, how long ago was it? It might have been something like… 8 years ago?”

“8 years?” Wilbur asked incredulously, his eyebrows raising as he straightened his posture to listen to the person across from him. From the way Dream had previously described it, his attachment to this place hadn’t seemed like it had been this long. “ You must have been a wee baby back then. Aww, I can imagine it, tiny dream running around, teleporting into trees and stuff.” A few chuckled left Will and were half-heartedly continued by Dream although they were quick to die out.

“Oh haha, very funny. For your information, I wasn’t that bad at first. I couldn’t even teleport back then.” His head turned as he spoke, his voice drifting off as if he was having trouble recalling something. “I was maybe 10 when I found them. It was winter yet I could remember feeling nothing but heat. A fire broke out, the whole thing consuming the place I used to live in.”

The airiness that was quick to form suddenly deflated. Wilbur felt a breath lodge itself in his throat as he listened to his friend, his hands slowly letting go of the mug and set it on the stone with a brief _click._ This, this was more personal territory, wasn’t it? What had Wilbur done to deserve this? To get this knowledge? Was it regular kindness? Did he need someone to talk to that bad that Wilbur was just to be used again just like before? That last thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, one that contrasted against the sweet sugar and cinnamon of the tea.

“I kind of remember her, my mom. Her name was Puffy. She… she was amazing. The best mother you could ask for. But the gods above didn’t seem to agree. You never know how good you have something until it’s gone forever. It makes you really think.” 

“I’m so sorry.” It was at this point that Wilbur had pushed himself off the stool and around the counter to stand beside Dream. A hand touched the shorter’s shoulder, an act meant to show reassurance; Something done for him in his time of need.

A sad smiled appeared on what could be seen of the blonde’s face. Despite this, Wilbur could picture exactly what he looked like without it. Eyes expressing ‘Thank you’ in full earnest, eyebrows drew together, the same freckles caught around the edges of his jaws and cheeks decorating the bridge of his nose. Dream’s own hand touched Will’s and for a second, the world was still. He hoped one day he could gain enough trust to be shown himself and not have to speculate on what could be. Until then, he was content with this.

A faint ringing of a bell caught both of their attention. Dream’s head snapped towards the direction the faint sound originated from. How could he tell so quickly? Ah, but then again, he’s been here for long. This must be something normal. 

“Hayden wants to see us. It’s not every day I bring home someone new.” 

Dream went to move and caught a glance at the expression Wilbur wore. Amber eyes were trained on him, occasionally twitching as he bit subtly bit the inside of his cheek. He looked worried, Dream realized. Not only were they pulled out of the moment they were sharing, one he thought to have great emotional weight, but they were also meeting someone he didn’t completely trust. This was still all too new for Will, he remembered. 

Turning back around to face Will, Dream carefully went to hold onto Wilbur’s hands. Slender and soft met rough and slightly calloused with a grip. It was comfortable, good. It was mutual.

“I promise Wilbur, nothing bad will happen. I swear on my life. Even if we haven’t known each other for a long time, I care about your well-being. I wouldn’t lure you into a dragon’s den knowing you could get hurt. If anything seems too much, we can go. You can go. Okay?” 

A few moments passed before Dream received a nod from Wilbur, eyes wrecked in thought while looking at a porcelain mask. “Okay,” he breathed. “Let’s go then, shall we?” 

  
  


The walk to Hayden’s quarters had been brief. After exiting the kitchen, the two were quick to follow a hallway with lilac flushed lights decorating the ceiling. Along the cracks sprouted familiar black roses dancing alongside blades of grass. These ones, Wilbur noted, were similar to the ones found on the outside of the entrance to this place except for more of a pearl-like glow to them. More of them were ground bunched up on a large archway, one that revealed something guilty of stealing a breath of air from Wilbur.

“An enchanted forest,” Wilbur breathed out in realization. He had read about them before, back in his days of solitude while the others would explore. Wilbur didn’t hate the idea of exploring, not inherently. It was just that his destinations always differed from his family. When his siblings would wish to visit grand market places of valuable weapons and blacksmiths, Wilbur would want to search for unexplored forests. Ones that would swell with magic and would hide to most beautiful creatures Wilbur could only dream of. Alas, it wasn’t in the family’s plans to ever go to one. It was always too far to make the journey, 

It was alright though. It never was. 

The space itself had a high elevated ceiling, one that allowed for trees of different sizes to grow within it. Below them laid dirt that allows the trees to live in the first place, a faint layer of fog decorating the ground. Several different flower types blossomed from the base of the trees, the ground sporting a colorful variety. Interweaved in oak branches were several different types of string lanterns accented by the green vines strewn about. Shades of yellows, pinks, blues, and oranges lit up the area with a slim meting light. What aided in illuminating the room was the abundance of crystals on the ceiling, shining and shimmering with hums of excellence. In one particular corner of the room, there laid an area set up with blankets neatly placed on the ground, silks, and cotton meshing together with added pillows, a hammock here or there. 

“This,” Wilbur began but was quick to stop. Words were hard to describe what he was seeing. His mouth opened again, hoping to say something other than a pathetic ‘this’, but nothing came out. It looked like something out of a fairytale. 

“It’s not the real thing but I tried my best to emulate it.”

Wilbur’s attention was drawn towards the center of the extremely large room where a small circular reflecting pool was embedded into the floor. Beside its surface sat Hayden, his head turned to look at them as he leaned back from where he sat. A brief and gentle hand motion beckoned them to come forward, a warm inviting smile ushering them in. 

“I hope my little Dreamer here hasn’t scared you too bad. Judging by your expression and how you reacted to me, I can tell you’re apprehensive about approaching me.” His hand graced the water, staring at his reflection as he spoke. An understanding look followed by a nod drew his attention towards the two before the ground near them.

“You can keep your distance if it makes you all the more comfortable. I won’t bite, I promise.” Their voice was light, airy, yet grounding all at the same time. An accent from a place Wilbur didn’t quite know the location for punctured his words. It made them sound more charming if anything. He was nice to listen to, sure, but that didn’t mean Wilbur wasn’t being careful. 

As gently as he could, Will sat down on the ground just about two feet from the older male, Dream sitting right beside him. 

“So, you must be from Oslans, right?” 

The accusation startled him, his eyes going wide as panic immediately surged in him and gripped at his nerves. “How, how did you-“

“It’s your accent dear. I heard it from before.” A faint chuckle left them before continuing, careful not to set too much panic into him.”I urge you to relax, I haven’t been stalking you or something like that. It sounds mighty similar from that part of the country, especially that town. I travel a lot you see, it helps me learn about all sorts of things. Magic, stories, hybrids, you name it.” 

“Is, is that how you helped Dream?” 

The question was simple but Hayden understood the implications of what it meant. It was as if to say ‘ah, so this is what it’s about.’ Their gaze immediately softened into one that could only be compared to the loving and knowing look a parent gives to their child. Something about it pulled at Wilbur’s heart, slowly tearing another piece of it away before chucking it back. 

“I imagine Dream told you about his abilities at some point. Wonderful isn’t it? He’s come oh so far with them, I’m quite proud.” The praise brought Dream the run the back of his neck, something akin to embarrassment showing. “He acts like this now, bashful and everything but later he acts as if he’s king of the world if I were to say that. It’s quite adorable.”

“Haydeeen.”

“Dreeeeam.”

An exchange of laughter went between the two and directly over Wilbur’s head as he listened and patiently waited. It was hard to speak. He didn’t know if he perhaps might overstep a boundary and be sent away. He didn’t know what was okay and what wasn’t. He didn’t know these people like he did the ones at home back there.

“Anyways, Wilbur Darling, do you mind if you come a bit closer and talk to me about what’s been going on with you? I can only help if I know what I’m working with, alright?” 

“ I won’t touch you where you don’t want to be touched, You just say the word. I won’t do anything of the sort,” he assured as one hand went across the area of their chest where his heart should be. “I know we are strangers, you and I, but I want our first continued impressions to be good.” 

“I’m just a tad bit nervous, you understand don’t you?” Wilbur gave a half-hearted chuckle, shuffling forward on his knees before sitting across from Hayden. Nimble hands found their way onto clinging onto black pants, clenching at them in trepidation. His heart was beating, preparing himself with every beat for something to go wrong. Maybe a slap, a harsh grab, anything.

Instead, he received a nod and gentle cool hands tipping his chin up with one hand. Purple gazed into amber, blinking a few times as he investigated. Another hand reached and softly got ahold of Wilbur’s hand, feeling it briefly before setting it down and leaning back into his previous seating position. 

“I’d have to say, I’m not noticing anything immediately. Is there anything you can tell me that might help?” 

“Oh, okay. Uhm well…” Words faltered as he debated on speaking. What if these people thought he was crazy? What if they heard the nonsense ramblings of his mind and decided ‘oh, this is too much.’ 

He was far too deep into this to even think about suddenly leaving.

There was no other choice. Speak from the heart or don’t speak at all. 

“Well I have a calling to water, at least, I think I do. More So the sea than anything else. There have been times where I feel a drawing to it, a pull of some sort. I even think that there’s like an actual calling, something like a song I forgot existed but I somehow remember the words. A-and there’s more! When Dream found me, he found me singing and he said my eyes were glowing and my hair was floating like something out of a fairytale.”

  
  


“Oh my dear, you really are a special gem, aren’t you?”

“What?” Wilbur and Dream both piqued up, the latter having remained silent during the conversation out of courtesy.

“Well, I think it is quite obvious now that I think about it. The water, the singing, the general allure. You’re a siren hybrid Wilbur.” 

The way it was explained was so calm and collected but Wilbur’s reaction was anything but. A hand of his own moved to clench onto his shirt, hope quickly replacing fear and worry within his heart. If he really wanted to, he could even admit to the slight forming of tears in the corners of his eyes. This wasn’t a dream, right? This, this was real right? It had to be. It made too much sense.

Please, don’t let this be fake. Please.

“I-I, really?!”

“Your affinity towards the water, the sea calling out for you, these are classic traits!” Excitement laced through Hayden’s words, giddiness sparking between the both of them before realization dawning across their face.

“Traits… traits.. oh my prime.” He paused to quickly look over Wilbur, checking the sides of his neck and head, a stark gaze taking ahold of him again before letting go. “Wilbur darling, When is your birthday?”

“If I’m correct with how long I’ve been gone from my home… It should be, ah, tomorrow.”

A collective ‘tomorrow?!’ went shared between Hayden and Dream, both surprised at how carelessly mentioned it. Like it didn’t matter. Truth be told, it honestly didn’t for Will. His birthday might have got him a simple ‘happy birthday Will’, as well as a sole gift but even that, was finicky. The celebrations for his brother and father would outclass his own and after years of it, Wilbur complied.

It was normal.

It was fine. 

_Maybe it wasn’t after all._

“You haven’t started the change then. Oh, I’ll need to do some research in my study for a bit before then.” Hayden arose off the ground, dusting themself off before going to a corner of the room. The younger two hurried after him, pulling themselves off the ground as the elder maneuvered through the trees with ease.

“The change?” Wilbur asked, practically speed walking after him and only coming to a halt when Hayden did. After almost colliding with the man, he watched as a door was opened, one that revealed a more modern-looking study. The floors and walls were made of deep rich brown wood with stocked bookshelves adorning the walls. 

“Yes, the change. From my readings, it’s something all Siren hybrids go through. You see, full-blood sirens already have everything you’d picture when you think of them. Things like scales, gills, and oddly colored eyes are all potential outcomes.” Hands quickly ghosted over a few of the books, label titles whispered under Hayden’s breath as they read them over. Three books were selected, ones with a dark cool grey binding and yellowed pages. “Did your family never tell you?”

Ouch. 

“No, sir. My family… it was just me, my older brother, my younger brother, and our dad. I doubt anyone ever knew really, I didn’t even know. Perhaps Phil did. I’m not too sure anymore about what he did see anyhow.”

Had Phil known about his siren nature? If Philza Minecraft Caddel was anything other than an amazingly strong adventurer, it was a wise researcher. Phil didn’t only love to fight and fly, he also loved to learn. Learn about civilizations long past and ones that were just recently formed. It was one of the only things that he shared with his middle child and even that was strained. With the arrival of Tommy and the growth of Techno, Phil stopped adventuring, stopped finding new stories to tell. But he always kept the old ones. 

If he knew, why didn’t he say anything to Will? He was his own son for fucks sake. Not flesh and blood but he hoped that it didn’t matter when it came to this. And what of the outcome that he didn’t know at all. Was he that boring that Phil wouldn’t even spare him a passing glance, huh? Was he that pathetic, was he that worthless?

Wilbur didn’t know.

A faint look of recognition briefly scanned across his face before quickly fading into nothing once more. “Oh… how inconsiderate of me.” The books in his arms were set down upon a lectern with a dismal puff of dust, the cloud dissipating before anything could happen. He turned towards Will who stood beside Dream at the entrance. A look of pity overcame his features as he stepped forward. Before he could even register what was about to happen, Wilbur was swept up into a brief hug before being set down, an apologetic look sent his way.

“I-I’m sorry I just… You poor thing. I can’t imagine what it must have been like. Being denied information that is your birthright; to something that makes you the wonderful individual that you are because let’s face it Will, you are. I see it. Only to be shunned out by scum who neglected the amazing child he was gifted.” 

Hayden slightly leaned down, cupping Wilbur’s face gently with a sigh. This feeling, what was this feeling? Something was tugging at Wilbur’s heart. He hadn’t felt this in ages. It was something he missed. Something taken from him perhaps, stolen away without his knowing. Fondness? A sense of closeness?

‘“I will help you every step of the way, my dear. You’re something extraordinary Wilbur, it’s time you see that too.” 

A shuddered breath left Will, blinking a few times as he nodded. Leaning into the hands on his face, a brief smile appeared. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. “I’d like that.”

________________

“Go go go! Get in the fucking portal!”

The rustle of feet running against netherrack attracted the attention of nearby mobs as screeches pierced through the air. The elder avian hybrid had just lit aflame the newest portal and with large arm motions ushered his sons to enter before he would even consider it. They had been traveling for hours, stopping only when ultimately necessary for them. It was only by accident that Tommy’s frustrated yells caught the attention of a looming ghast, waiting for its next prey. 

Another blast was sent towards the portal, just clipping it and missing. The smaller winged hybrid reached the portal and waited for his elder brother. Said piglin hybrid was evading arrows being shot by skeletons, throwing and discarding a piece of rubble that lived its brief life as a shield. 

With a quick jump, Techno, Tommy, and Phil exited out of the fiery hellscape that was the nether and into the overworld. 

They landed with a thud. A wave of ease overcame all of them, the blood rushing in their ears calming down ever so slightly as they were finally allowed to relax and catch their breath. 

“That, that was fucking hell,” breathed out Tommy, panting wildly as he leaned against a wall of stone that happened to be nearby. 

  
“I think,” Techno coughed. “I think that was the equivalent of it. More or less.”

Phil looked at their surroundings, trying to get a hold of where they were. It was clearly nighttime, the sky pitch black with only a few stars and the moon faintly guiding them. 

But they needed to push on, they weren’t finished yet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Who are we going to follow next chapter? Wilby or the SBi? You guys decide :]
> 
> Leave any comments, headcanons, your favorite parts, questions, kudos, or anything below if you'd like! I love reading them all whether they are brief or large paragraphs going into detail!
> 
> If you need help imagining what the forest room looks like, you can watch that one scene from Willy's Wonderland with Siren Sarah's fairy forest. I will warn you though, it's a horror movie and if you get startled easily you might not want to see it. If you want a Hayden voice claim, It's Hozier ;] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0tZZZmRir8


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the road again, back with SBI on the road again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow am I mentally drained :D I'm sorry for the delay in the chapter, I just really was not feeling like writing for the majority of this week and even as we speak I'm suffering from a pretty terrible hand cramp. Guys don't worry, I'm hydrating, getting sleep focusing on school, all that. I do this for y'all!
> 
> I'm also thinking of implementing a schedule where I update on Fridays. I don't know how realistic that would be though.

“So, where are we exactly?”

The family of three found themselves stranded in the middle of a forest shrouded in darkness. Someone, no one really knew who but the youngest had a sneaking suspicion it was Phil, lit a torch ablaze, lighting up the surrounding space around them. A drawn-out hiss was let out from a nearby mob; a spider with its bright red eyes, approaching them at a rapid speed. The life in it was quickly cut short with a heavy swing of a sword, one donning a faint purple sheen to it in the hands of Techno.

And with that, they kept on walking.

“Well, I’m not too sure exactly. My nether travel calculations should have landed us close to where I know Wilbur would go. Eislons is a rather large country, however. It could take hours before we actually find out any semblance of where we actually ended up.”

Tommy halted in his tracks, turning to look at Phil with a judging gaze. The hand on his backpack strap tightened just as much as the hand on his sword did. Wings on his back ruffled, flexing out cherry red and blush feathers before eventually drawing them back in. There was a growing ache in the boy’s chest, something that was becoming more of a nuisance as more time went on. It felt heavy, something dense, burdensome. 

Something about that statement just felt _off_ to Tommy. 

How does a parent go from having a stranger as a son to then suddenly knowing him? 

It didn’t make sense. _Make it make sense._

It frustrated Tommy to no avail. It was his fault. This was all his fault. Wilbur leaving, them going through the nether, getting stranded in a far-off country, Wilbur _still being gone._ His brother could be gone for all they know. Wilbur could be… he could be dead.

The thought caused Tommy to recoil, blinking a few times before adjusting his grip on his sword. No, there was no use in thinking like that. It would only make things worse, wouldn’t it? They were all already in a pissy mood. They had spent hours traversing in what could only be described as “Hell” to get here and just as they get a moment of air, they have to move again. Anger was easy for Tommy, it was much harder to come down from it.

But, even so, he said nothing. 

He didn’t challenge his father in his knowledge. 

The energy to go on simply vanished from his being as easy as it came.

It just so happened that the same energy found itself in Technoblade.

“So you know him now? That would have been really convenient before we, you know, lost him in the first place.”

Phil had only managed to take a step in a random direction before he turned around to face Techno. Displeasure overcame his features, shoulders slumping slightly as his wings rose in defense. He went to start a few times, stuttering to try and get the right words. Excuses no doubt, thought Techno.

“Tech, look, I’m sorry but I am trying my best for you two, for Wilbur. It’s, it’s just been tough. It’s not every day you lose your son and have him run away.”

Somehow, this response bristled more anger from the piglin-hybrid. Techno came to a full stop, red eyes closing as he took in a deep breath and sighed. Patience was a virtue, true, but everyone has their limits. At that moment, Tommy could have sworn he heard a thread snap in his brother’s mind.

“Oh, so suddenly our feelings pale in comparison to yours? As if I didn’t lose my brother, the same younger brother who I had sworn to protect when you brought him home? You aren’t the only person with feelings Phil.”

In the entirety of Wilbur’s disappearance, Techno had to be strong. Their family was already slowly crumbling from before his brother left. It only took Wilbur’s absence for them all to simply notice. Not only that, it was only falling faster with every second. He needed to be there to hold it together, to make up for what their father lacked. To be there for the hurting brother he still had at his side. Tommy needed him and even if he didn’t say it, he needed Tommy too.

But his strength was only so strong. 

Techno missed Wilbur just as much as they did, maybe even more so. Every second spent slowed down with these two was another second Techno could be tearing through this forest on his own to find his brother. 

The brother who laughed at all of Techno’s sarcastic attempts at humor.

The brother who braided his hair when Techno’s clumsy hands messed up a loop.

The brother who cheered from the sidelines while he stole the show.

Prime, was he apart of this circle jerk of blame?

Who could he even blame? 

Phil? Tommy? Himself?

All viable answers but the more he thought about it, no one person was truly to blame. He couldn’t just yell his heart out at that one person and expect the issue to be resolved. How could it? 

Technoblade’s heart wasn’t stone cold as he liked to joke.

He was protective, he was caring, he cared. He cared and it hurt so much that he does because he can’t show it.

He can’t let it out. He needed to conceal it. 

_But it was so hard._

_“_ I know I’m not the only one who is hurting right now, Techno. I can see it in the both of you two, especially you. I can see you trying to hide it from me.”

“That isn’t an excuse to invalidate my anger towards everything goin’ on then.”

“Techno! I’m not trying to,” Phil quickly let out a sigh of exhaustion before continuing. “I’m not trying to invalidate you or ignore you too.” It was clear that patience for the both of them was burning away, anything left currently wicking down to a small flame. His large black wings began to rise, growing to extend as a subtle showing of dominance. 

“We wouldn’t even be in this mess if it wasn’t for…” For some reason, Techno couldn’t find it in himself to continue. The words died just as easily as they came to life on his tongue. Phil’s face twisted as he heard that, something akin to hurt and disappointment arising. 

“Go on. Say it. Blame me. Blame me all you want Techno, but that doesn’t change the fact it wasn’t just me who failed to see everything going on-”  
  
“Don’t you think I know that?!” 

He didn’t know where the burst of fury came from. It startled Phil and Tommy, both blonde onlooking at the display. Techno didn’t let this opportunity go, taking a hold of it to finally _breathe._

“He was my brother too! He was there and we just, we lost him! How?!”  
  


“I wish I could blame you, Phil, I wish I could blame it only on you but this ugly feeling inside of me says I’m to blame too and you know what? They’re right! I helped cause this mess on my own accord or not and I feel terrible about it! You haven’t even considered how Tommy feels about this either! He could be blaming himself for all we know and-!”

_“Techno.”_

“Don’t go interrupting me, _Dad_ , when I’m trying to-”

_“Techno, he’s gone!”_

“Yeah, no shit!”

_“No, Techno, Tommy’s gone!”_

Silence.

A blonde and pink head whipped around, trying to find the sight of where the avian could have gone. A missing torch was gone from Phil’s set and the two were left alone in the pathway that Tommy had left them in.  
  


“Tommy?!” 

Phil called out in a bit of a panic, his hand gripping a torch with a ferocity he hadn’t felt in years. Another hand rested on a diamond sword. While Tommy had been learning, he was only a child. A child alone in a potentially mob-infested forest in which he knew nothing about the surrounding area. As quick as they were to stop arguing, the pair picked up their things yet again and hurried to find their missing member. 

A small chirp noise left the older man, something Phil also hadn’t done in years. It was something that the older man used in order to quickly get a severely younger Tommy’s attention when needed. If there ever was a moment to use it, it would be this one. 

Thankfully, Phil sighed in relief when hearing the echo of a faint, yet hesitant, chirp nearby. A dash in that direction, the smack of a few branches, and the eventual slice and dice of a mob here or there led Techno and Phil towards finding Tommy standing at the entrance of a tunnel, one that it only took seconds for Phil to see to recognize.   
  


“Tommy, y-you found it. This is the theatre’s entrance,” Phil exclaimed. 

Just as it was all those years ago stood the larger-than-life tunnel to the amphitheater that he had taken Wilbur to visit. Suddenly, it was as if Phil had just flown down with a smaller Wilbur in his hands, arms cradling around the shaky bundle of fear. Turns out, Wilbur didn’t enjoy the feeling of flying. 

What Phil wouldn’t give to relive that day. To be able to show his son the wonders of a forgotten time, to see the amazement bursting at the seams, the stars in his eyes.

Granted, he thought that them finding the tunnel to the amphitheater would be a bit of a longer task at the pace they were going. Oh well, no matter.

The blonde looked back at the older pair, his wings fluttering a bit in response but face still as aggravated as ever. He crossed his arms, torch settled in a holder against the wall while his sword remained sheathed at his side. “Yeah, I figured I could be more of a man and scope out this place while you and Technoblade argued like a bunch of wet cats. If you two are finished, can we please move on? I’m fucking tired, I might hallucinate ‘n shit.”

Tired footsteps echoed throughout the tunnel before eventually leading the trio to the theatre. It stood tall and proud, slightly amazing Techo and Tommy as they looked at it in all its glory. They rushed in, desperately looking for any signs of the male, anything he could have left behind. Tommy trailed along the several rows of seats, Techno took the main stage and backstage area, and Phil scouted the outskirts of the area. 

It was a blink and you’ll miss it for Technoblade. He brushed a glance over the area after not seeing any sign of a tall brunette but stopped when seeing something shining with a faint glimmer at the bottom of a step. Crouching down, Techno reached and felt a strand of a cord. 

What?

_“Happy birthday Will,” Techno congratulated with the faintest hint of a smirk on his face. In one of his hands was a simple red silk pouch. Techno had turned eleven months before that day and now Wilbur was ten! Oh, how exciting it had been for the both of them. For Wilbur, another year came and went where he was growing up in hopes of being as strong and as confident as his brother and father, despite the lack of excitement when it came to fighting._

_Technoblade was excited for a separate reason entirely. He had spent days working with Phil in order to create, in his opinion, the best birthday present he could._

_“Thank you Techno!”_

_Will had opened the small pouch to reveal a simple yet beautiful emerald bracelet. The brunette’s eyes widened as he marveled at the reflectiveness of the gem._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Now we match,” Techno smiled, showing a matching bracelet of his own on his arm. “They are friendship emeralds. I know we are brothers and all but I still like the name, so. As long as we both call each other brother, we will wear it. It’s a symbol and stuff.”_

_The bear hug he received from his brother made it all worth it._

Staring back at him was the same friendship emerald bracelet he had gifted Wilbur, the same one they vowed to never take off, lose, or go without. It was a sign of trust, of friendship, of love. Why… why would he take it off? 

An incoming Phil landed beside a clearly distressed Techno. His eldest stared at the bracelet as if demanding answers, the fist in his free hand growing looser as time went on. Red confusion met blue-grey uncertainty. 

“Why would Will want to come here? It looks like it hasn’t been used in ages!” Tommy swept a hand over a seat, a layer of dust rising and staining his pale hand. He let out a loud sneeze, his wings slightly flaring up as the sound echoed around them before eventually dying out. 

“Have you met Wilbur?” Techno finally answered. It took a few seconds to regain himself, careful about how he would sound. “This huge stage, beautiful archaic atmosphere? Oh yeah, no doubt he would come here. The question is,” Techno paused after finding remnants of a campfire, prodigy at it with his foot. Beside it laid two makeshift bowls, one made slightly better than the other. The bracelet in his hand was gripped tighter, tighter than Techno would have liked to admit.“Who was he with?”

That got the attention of everyone. If Will wasn’t here, that meant he must have left. The only problem was that they didn’t know just where to. 

They’d find it eventually, but for now, the only thing that rang common across their minds was a desire to sleep. The panic, worry, and fear residing in each of them had lost the battle against the need for rest, sleep ushering them to lay down. 

For the night, all of them decided to sleep separately, each with their own corner of the stage.

Long ago did Tommy and Techno fall asleep, exhaustion overtaking them with her sweep embrace but for Phil? Phil couldn’t feel a thing, eyebags resting comfortably on his skin as tired as blinked a few times at the sky.

It would make sense why Wilbur would want to come here. Phil could tell why.

It wasn’t every day you had a siren hybrid in your home after all.

Legends of days once passed told of how sirens simply felt a call to certain places. Places that were blessed by ancestors of the past as sanctuaries for them to rest. Certain stages, ocean monuments, and lagoons acted as such. While he didn’t know it at the time, Phil bringing Wilbur to this place had probably awakened something in the boy they both didn’t know was there.

A part of Phil knew that he should have told him. Told his son what he truly was. Another part of Phil wondered how long he could keep it concealed from Wilbur. Terrible as it may have been, Will showed no signs of developing any siren traits. It was possible that his human genes were simply too powerful and overcame whatever the boy was destined to have.

It was to spare him the heartbreak, he reminded himself. Philza had seen over countless years what hope can look like when crushed. It could consume someone from the inside out, engulfing them in fits of rage and sadness, transforming them into a person they could barely recognize anymore. As a parent, it worried him dearly just how badly things could have ended. For Techno, things were different. Techno was blatantly a piglin-hybrid, the large tusks, the red eyes, the abnormally pink splotches speckling his skin. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind as to what he could have been.

But what about Will?

What if he was wrong?

Could he handle the look on his face if it turned out that he was just, average. Just normal and plain in comparison to the rest of his family. What would he do if he saw the light in Wilbur’s eyes slowly die out over the years because of an unsure theory? 

Phil supposed he already knew the answer, it had unfolded right in front of him after all. He did nothing. He didn’t do a single thing.. Instead of giving his son something to be proud of, something to take comfort in knowing that he was special, he did nothing. 

He could have done so much. Why didn’t he do enough?

Staring at the moon above them all, Phil let out a rattling sob. A hand clasped over his mouth as he tried his best to conceal the oncoming storms of emotions. Out of his pocket emerged a necklace, one whose golden chain reflected beautifully against the moonlight. On it attached were three lockets; one pink, one red, and one yellow. Flipping open the yellow locket, crystal clear tears found their way onto the picture of Wilbur.

His beautiful boy, his beautiful _missing_ boy. 

The same boy he found and promised to love, to cherish, to watch him grow up and always be there. To patch up any loose cuts or protect from any fearsome beast. To shelter him until it was his time to leave. _He didn’t think it would be like this._

What Phil would give to take him in his arms and tell him everything he couldn’t. Everything he needed to say but never bothered to. What would a father not do for his child? What would he not do for Will?

Fixing things would come first.

Things couldn’t, shouldn’t, and wouldn’t be as they once were. If it was, they’d be only handing Wilbur away. Pushing him away just as they did once before. The efforts they were making would have been for nothing. 

“Happy Birthday Wilbur,” he whispered as he mustered a smile and weakly wiped away a tear. 

____________

The next morning was silent. For a place designed to enhance the volume of voices, the sound of beauty, in fact, the silence was deafening.

Phil had been long gone, taking to the skies in an instant. _“I’ll go scope out the surrounding area with my wings while you two rest. You both look like you need it.”_ It had been almost half an hour since he left, Techno would know, he had been keeping track.

Techno ate remnants of steak they preserved in their backpacks while Tommy feasted on what sounded like an apple from his side of the stage. A quick glance over revealed a Golden apple in his brother’s hand, one that had a large chunk of it missing. Doing a double-take, Techno was quick to get his attention. 

“Tommy, did you steal one of my gapples?”  
  


“W-well, it’s a funny story now that you mention it really. You see, I managed to stumble across one in my room, and uh... Well… that is it. End of story.”

“You stole from my gapple stash.”

“Wha, no! Of course not! I just like the way it tastes!”

An indignant huff left Technoblade as he turned around and went back to his belongings, cleaning up the materials he used to eat before grabbing his weapons and checking the quality. The shine of the sword never seemed polished enough, that is, until he heard the sound of wings flapping and a slight gust of breeze. 

Phil.

Both boys looked towards Phil, awaiting any form of news. Anything, good, bad, anything. 

“Pack your things, boys,” Phil smiled. “We are heading to Jerona.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! What's Jerona? Wait and see! Next chapter we are back with Will and the change!
> 
> Leave any comments, headcanons, your favorite parts, questions, kudos, or anything below if you'd like! I love reading them all whether they are brief or large paragraphs going into detail!
> 
> Come bother me: https://henlothurrr.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Wilbur is siren with voice manipulation powers  
> Techno is the oldest, then Wilbur, then Tommy. They live with phil   
> They are all adopted  
> Endgame Dreambur


End file.
